


Constants

by helsinkibaby



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, F/M, Gen, Het, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-25
Updated: 2015-08-25
Packaged: 2018-04-17 06:26:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 32,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4656078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A year ago, Caitlin Snow lost her job, her mentor and her best friend. As the anniversary of the tsunami dawns and an old foe re-emerges to threaten her, The Flash, a reporter, a police captain and a not quite ghost join forces to help save her life - in more ways than one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Constants

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Constants [Fanart]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4695647) by [red_b_rackham](https://archiveofourown.org/users/red_b_rackham/pseuds/red_b_rackham). 



> Set in alternate timeline based on the events of "Out of Time"

It should be raining, Caitlin thought. There should be dark grey clouds in the sky, wind whipping the leaves around her feet, blowing her hair in her face and promising untold tangles when she brushed it that night. It should be cold and miserable, as miserable as this place, as miserable as her mood. 

But instead the sun shone brightly from a sky of clear blue. Any clouds to be seen were wispy and white, the breeze barely strong enough to move motes of dust from one gravestone to the next. It was, by any measurable standard, a lovely day and all over Central City, people were smiling, looking at the sky and the sunshine and feeling grateful to be alive, knowing that only twelve months ago they had been in imminent danger of their city being destroyed, their lives lost to a meta human created tsunami. For the last twelve months, all the talk was been about meta humans and what was lost that day and rebuilding the city; on this day, the anniversary, people were beginning to look to the future, to close the door on the past, to move on. 

Standing in that graveyard though, staring down at the black marble tombstone, at the name and the dates engraved in shiny gold, Caitlin couldn't imagine a time that she'd ever be able to let go, to move on. Tears blurred her vision and she shook her head, knowing that Cisco would hate to see her crying, especially over him, but every so often the sensation of loss, of missing him swept over her and she was powerless against it. And wouldn't he love that, she thought suddenly, a smile coming to her lips at what he would say if he were privy to her thoughts; he'd probably call her over-dramatic and roll his eyes while secretly loving every minute of it...

She startled suddenly because there was a flash of something out of the corner of her eye, a shape, a hint of movement that looked all too familiar but when she looked to her left, it was gone. She sucked in a sharp breath, laughed at herself a little as she tried to ignore the hairs standing on the back of her neck. She'd definitely been here too long, she thought, if she was seeing ghosts at every turn. 

"Caitlin?"

The sound of her name made her jump, made her whirl with a tiny shriek as she spun to her right, clapping her hand over her chest for good measure. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment when she saw Joe standing beside her, staring at her with a worried look on his face. "You OK?" he asked her. "You look like you've seen a ghost." She pressed her lips together because he was nearer to the truth than he might have guessed and he must have thought she meant something else by her expression because his instantly turned into a mask of contrition. "Sorry... Bad choice of words."

"It's OK." Caitlin wrapped her arms around herself, glanced again to her left. "I didn't hear you, that's all... too wrapped up in my own thoughts." 

It was a good excuse and he seemed to buy it if the way he nodded, stared down at the grave was any indication. Of course, maybe he knew she was lying and was friend enough not to call her on it; either way, Caitlin was grateful. "I get that," he said, sighing heavily. "It's still hard to believe." 

Just like that, snapshots of twelve months previous flashed through Caitlin's mind, like one of those cartoon flip books she used to love when she was a child. 

A promise to watch "The Walking Dead" - she still couldn't see the name of the show without her stomach flipping. 

An empty wheelchair, coffee stinging her hand as the shock made her sway on her feet. 

A panicked phone call, how do you stop a tsunami?

Her own voice, calling out her best friend's name, a terrible scream as she saw him lying lifeless on the ground...

"Hey." Joe's hand was on her shoulder, his voice infinitely gentle. "Come back."

His dark eyes were so kind, so understanding that new tears smarted in hers and she huffed out an impatient breath as she reached up to brush them away. "I'm sorry," she said. "I feel so ridiculous... I think I've cried more today than I have all year."

"It's the anniversary." Joe looked away from her, swallowing hard, his eyes suddenly serious, haunted even. He shifted on his feet, his left hand flexing on the handle of his cane. "Reminders everywhere... television, newspapers..." He shuddered. "Barry and Iris had the right idea... take off for a couple days, get away from it all..."

Caitlin had been privy to Barry vacillating over whether that was, in fact, a good idea; she'd been firmly on the side of yes and not just because Iris had been convincing her of it. She'd been happy for them when they decided to go; she just hadn't realised until this moment how alone it would make her feel. Friends had been in short supply for the last twelve months. "It's not like Barry couldn't be back here quickly if he was needed," she said, something she had pointed out to Barry himself and Joe tilted his head as he looked at her with a distinctly unimpressed air. 

"That's what I thought," he said. "Until Iris informed me that they were due some 'couple time' and under no circumstances would Barry be coming back early." He shuddered again, this time exaggeratedly. "I kinda stopped listening after that." 

Caitlin hid a smile, both Barry and Iris having told her that while Joe was thrilled that they were together, the actual physical details of their relationship were something he just didn't want to know about. "Fair enough." 

"She called earlier. To check in." His hand tapped the top of the cane again. "Wanted to see if I was doing OK."

"What did you tell her?"

Joe quirked an eyebrow. "That everything was fine, that I'm fine." He shrugged one shoulder as she gave him a knowing look. "I know, I know.... I promised her a year ago I was done with lying to her."

"I think she'll forgive you this once." Caitlin rested her hand on his arm for just a moment, smiled up at him and he smiled back. For a second, it was easy to forget where they were, and when they were and Caitlin dropped her hand in a hurry when she realised she'd held on for slightly longer than was appropriate. "I should get going," she said, more for something to say than because she had any real plans. She took a step to the side, but Joe took one with her. 

"Look, you want to get some dinner? There's a place near here..." She blinked, because she hadn't noticed the time, hadn't noticed how hungry she was and he might have mistaken her surprise for something else because he hurriedly continued, "It's nothing fancy, a real cops on the beat joint... red vinyl seats, jukebox in the corner, food that'll clog your arteries that Iris gives me hell about eating..."

Something was happening to her face; it took Caitlin longer than it should have to realise that it was a genuine smile. "I won't tell if you don't." An answering smile appeared on Joe's lips as he swung around and began walking and Caitlin wondered did it feel as strange on his lips as it did on hers. "Is it far?" she asked as she fell into step beside him, glancing down at his left leg and he chuckled, like he knew the question she wasn't asking. 

"What, you want to know if you're going to have to carry me?" He was grinning, a teasing tone to his voice and she shrugged with what she hoped was the same expression. "Nah, it's only a couple blocks... besides, my leg's not even hurting that badly today so I can tell you it's not gonna rain..." He was joking, but only partly; the delay in getting him treatment after Mardon had broken his leg had meant that the bones had never knit properly.  Caitlin had seen the X-rays and the doctors' charts, knew the kind of pain that he must still be feeling, even after extensive physiotherapy. "I think I can make it."

They walked in companionable silence until they reached their destination and Joe pulled open the door, letting Caitlin walk in first. A quick scan of the interior told her that he hadn't been kidding about this place; the décor was straight out of any 50s movie she could care to mention. A smiley waitress showed them to a table, handed them a pair of menus and left them alone to peruse them. Joe recommended a couple of things and when their order was taken and Caitlin had had enough time to take in the place properly, she smiled at Joe and said the only thing she could think of.  "Cisco would love this place."

Joe's laugh was deep and warm, and it made Caitlin laugh too. It was nice, to think of Cisco and smile, because so often the memory had been accompanied the image of his lifeless body. "I know," Joe agreed. "But can you imagine how many movie references he'd shoehorn into a meal here?"

Caitlin didn't have to think twice. "Too many," she said and then she laughed again because he'd said the exact same thing at the exact same time. When her laughter faded, she shook her head. "I miss him so much," she said quietly and Joe sighed. 

"I sometimes wonder," he began and there was a part of her that wanted him to stop right there. She'd had a year of her own wonderings, knew only pain could come of it. "If I hadn't involved him... hadn't told him what I thought about Wells... how would things have been different." He pauses, nods at the waitress as she puts a beer in front of him, another in front of Caitlin. It wasn't her normal drink but then again, today wasn't a normal day. "He never would have suspected Wells without me whispering in his ear..."

"You can't think like that." Caitlin's fingers closed around the cool glass, her lips twisting bitterly. "That's my job." 

"Caitlin, you couldn't have-"

"I was the one keeping Doctor Wells out of the lab... which was, frankly, ridiculous since everyone keeps telling me I have the worst poker face in the history of ever. If I hadn't tipped him off..." The image of the empty wheelchair danced through her mind again. "I tried to call him, warn him, but I couldn't get through..."

"Wells is a speedster... you wouldn't have had a chance."

"If I'd managed to get through to Barry..."

"He wouldn't have been able to stop the tsunami and a whole lot more people would have died. You think Cisco would have wanted that?" 

It was a good point and Caitlin could hear Cisco's voice suddenly, as clear as if he was sitting beside her. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," she heard herself say, and when Joe looked at her like she had ten heads, she added, "Star Trek... number something." 

"I know that; I helped raise Barry, remember?" Joe didn't try to keep his surprise out of his voice. "I didn't know you knew that."

"Cisco made me watch it. He cried at the end and pretended he had something in his eye." Another laugh from Joe and Caitlin found herself thinking absently what a nice sound that was. She shook her head quickly, as much to dislodge that thought as the memories. "I guess it's just today... making me think about it more." 

Joe tilted his head and pursed his lips, leaning forward as he crossed his arms on the table. "Is that all?" he asked, and Caitlin suddenly understood what it was like to be on the other side of an interrogation table from this man. "Because it looks to me like it's more than just that."

Her first impulse was to laugh it off, tell him he was crazy. She even opened her mouth to do just that. What came out was something different. "It's silly."

Joe narrowed his eyes, leaned forward slightly more. "Not if it's making you look like you haven't slept in a week it's not." 

Caitlin's cheeks grew warm. "Do I look that bad?" she parried and he grinned. 

"No. Just took a shot."

Caitlin rolled her eyes, but he was closer to the truth than he knew. "I haven't been sleeping well," she admitted. "I keep dreaming about that day."

"I know what you mean..." Joe shuddered as he raised his beer to his lips, taking a long pull. For the first time, Caitlin noticed the shadows under his eyes,  the grey in his hair that hadn't been there a year ago. She thought back to that day, what he'd been through and she wondered what nightmares haunted his dreams; were they the same as hers with just an added layer? He grimaced and she could see the effort it took to bring him back to reality. "Sorry." 

"I know it's just the anniversary," she said. "But I keep dreaming about Cisco, like he's calling me..." A shiver ran down her spine. "And... It's crazy, I know, it's just me being paranoid..."

"Caitlin..." Her name was somewhere between a growl and a warning and her answer came out in a rush, before she could censor herself.  

"I keep feeling like someone's following me." It might sound crazy but he clearly didn't think it was. His eyes grew wide and she could see him glance around, as if there was an imminent threat inside the diner. "It's just a feeling, you know, the hairs going up on the back of my neck, like someone's watching me, except there's never anyone there when I turn around... I had that feeling in the cemetery earlier on..."

Joe's jaw was set firm, his eyes dark and stormy. "I'm putting a uniform on you."

"You don't have to-"

"Caitlin." He spoke her name flatly, leaving no room for argument. "We never caught Wells." 

He didn't have to tell her that and the memory was good for another shiver. "He's long gone," she said, even if there were times, when she woke up from a nightmare for example, that she didn't quite believe it. STAR Labs was a huge facility, above and below ground and she was well aware that there were whole areas she'd never gone near, whole sections that had been Wells's exclusive domain. No matter how thoroughly the CCPD had searched, and she knew they had, there was always a part of her that wondered if he'd managed to evade them and was hiding right under their noses. "He has to be... He...."

She didn't realise her hand was trembling as badly as it was, making the glass bottle rattle on the table, until Joe's hand closed over hers, stilling the motion. Carefully, gently, he peeled her fingers from the glass, wrapping her hand in both of his. His skin was warm to the touch against her freezing skin and she wondered when the last time was she'd actually felt that warm. "First thing tomorrow, I'm assigning a detail to your apartment," he promised. His eyes were as warm as his hands, and they never left hers. "They'll stay out of your way, I can make them plain clothes if you want. I'll clear it with Doctor McGee, promise her they won't affect your work." She opened her mouth to protest and he increased the pressure of his hand on hers. "Caitlin, I don't want anything to happen to you."

He was so obviously sincere, so obviously concerned, that a lump rose in Caitlin's throat and she nodded slowly. "OK."

Joe visibly relaxed, like he thought she was going to fight him on it for longer. He opened his mouth as if to say something but then the waitress came over with their food and he dropped Caitlin's hand, moving back slightly in his seat to give her room to put the plates down. When the waitress disappeared, he changed the subject, mentioning how strange it was to have the house to himself for a couple of days, how he'd grown accustomed to Iris and Barry jumping apart whenever he entered a room, like they were still in high school instead of adults. The way he spoke, the obvious exaggeration and fondness made her smile, even if it did make her feel a little lonely. Maybe that showed on her face because he asked, "You heard from Ronnie lately?"

She shook her head. "I haven't heard from him since the funeral," she said and she could tell she'd shocked him from the way his eyebrows rose. He covered it up quickly though. "He wanted me to go to Coast City with him... try to pick up where we left off."

Joe frowned. "You didn't want to?"

"More than I've ever wanted anything." She said it with a laugh, albeit one with precious little humour. "But I knew it wouldn't work." She stared at her plate, stabbed a French fry into some ketchup. "I wasn't the same Caitlin he knew... Not any more, not after everything." She shrugged. "I'll always love him. He'll always love me. But..." Another helpless shrug, words failing her. 

"I'm sorry." 

She nodded her thanks before saying, with a completely innocent face, "At least I have Barry and Iris to remind me that true love sometimes still wins..."

His burger froze halfway to his lips. "Oh, you just had to go there..."

She laughed and the seriousness dissipated, the rest of the meal passing in light-hearted chat, stories about Barry and Iris and Cisco, stories that for once made her want to laugh rather than cry. When they were finished, he fought with her about him paying rather than them splitting the check and he didn't seem mad when she got her way. Instead he grinned as he helped her with her coat. 

"I'll walk you back to your car," he said and she shook her head. 

"You don't have to-"

He gave her a look. "Even if you hadn't told me what you told me earlier, I'd still be walking you back," he said in a tone that brooked no argument. So she just nodded, fell into step beside him. 

"What time are Barry and Iris coming home?"

"Early afternoon tomorrow." He grimaced exaggeratedly. "I have to share the remote again." He glanced at his watch. "If I even get to enjoy my last night of freedom... I have to head back to the precinct... paperwork." He made it sound like a fate worse than death. "I don't know how David did it... or at least I know why he used to be so grouchy near the end of the month."

"How's he doing?" Caitlin tilted her head as she looked over at him. 

Joe nodded. "He's getting there, he's getting there... He and Rob are thinking about setting a date soon..." He sighed and Caitlin knew what he was going to say before he even said it. "If he hadn't jumped in front of me..." 

Caitlin had a sudden vision of Joe's body, broken and bleeding, on the floor of police headquarters. Her stomach turned over at the thought and she wrapped her arms around her middle to ward off a sudden chill. "You can't blame yourself," she reminded him, not for the first time. "You know he doesn't." 

"I know." Joe's lips twisted and a sigh didn't  look to be far away. "Doesn't seem to make much difference." 

Knowing a thing or two about how guilt worked, Caitlin could only look at the ground and keep walking. 

Before too long, they were  back at her car. "I'll call you in the morning, let you know about the detail," he promised. 

"You really don't have to-" The words came automatically and she stopped talking when she saw the look on his face. "OK, OK." She held her hands up in surrender. "Thank you. For that... and the company." She shifted on her feet, moved her purse further up on her shoulder. "It was nice not to be alone tonight." 

"I hear you." Joe paused for a moment and she could see in his eyes the moment he made the decision to step forward and hug her. One hand stayed on his cane, but the other slid around her back and she didn't hesitate, both arms going around his waist and holding him tightly for a moment. 

She held on past the point where she knew she should let go, but since he didn't seem to be in any hurry, she didn't worry about that too much. 

And if her cheeks were pink when she slid into her car, she didn't worry about that either. 

She turned the radio on as she drove home, humming badly along to  music she'd grown up with, 90s boy bands that would have made Cisco want to tear his hair out. It had been nice, she realised, to have someone to talk to who had known him - she'd lost touch with a lot of people after the particle accelerator had exploded, shut them out in her grief over losing Ronnie, and when Cisco had died, when the world discovered the truth about Harrison Wells, people hadn't exactly been knocking down her door to commiserate with her. Tina McGee coming to her, offering her a job, had been the answer to a prayer, but the people at Mercury Labs, while nice, seemed to keep her at a distance. 

Then again, she thought, maybe she was the one doing that to them. After all, losing Ronnie the first time had been hard, but losing Cisco and her mentor all at once had been just as difficult. Over the last twelve months, her social circle had narrowed to just Barry, Iris and Joe, and while nights spent in the West Allen house were lovely, it meant that when Barry and Iris were doing couple stuff, she found herself at rather a loose end. Like tonight, when all the Mercury Labs staff were discussing their Friday night plans and she found herself in a cemetery talking to her best friend's grave.

Still, she thought, it hadn't been all bad, running into Joe had made it more than bearable and so she was still humming as she made her way into her apartment building, nodding to the doorman as she collected her mostly junk mail. She was still flicking through the envelopes as she walked towards her door and she only looked up as she came to turn the corner, sensing there was someone standing there. 

She looked up and the envelopes fell to the floor as she raised her hands to her lips to stifle a scream. 

Cisco was standing there, looking right at her, his dark eyes serious and steady. He looked just like she remembered him, hair hanging loose over his open shirt, some sort of movie related t-shirt underneath. He smiled when he saw her and just as she was about to say his name, he blinked out of existence. 

Caitlin sucked in a deep breath, heart hammering in her chest, moving backwards until she hit the solid wall behind her. Tears filled her eyes and she squeezed them shut, telling herself it was just her imagination, that it was just because she and Joe had been talking about him, that it was the anniversary bringing it all back. Pressing her lips together she stood up straight, opened her eyes, half expecting to see him again, but there was nothing, just the empty hallway. 

Slowly, carefully, she peeled herself away from the wall, gathered her mail and stepped on wobbly legs towards her apartment, chiding herself with each step for imagining things. 

But she wasn't imagining the fact that the door of her apartment was ajar, when she knew for a fact that she'd locked it that morning. 

Nor was she imagining the fact that when she peeped in through the crack, the lamp that usually stood on the hall table - an engagement gift from her favourite aunt - lay in pieces on the floor. 

Backing out as quickly and as quietly as she could, she made her way back towards the elevator, pausing just outside her neighbour's front door. Only there did she pause, stand with her back against the wall and dig through her purse, stuffing in the envelopes before finding her cell phone and scrolling through her meagre list of contacts with a shaking hand.

"If you're calling to argue about your detail, save your breath." Joe actually sounded amused when he picked up the phone, not even bothering with a hello, and Caitlin closed her eyes as she sagged against the wall with relief, not realising until he actually answered how afraid she'd been that he wouldn't. She opened her mouth to speak but a sob came out instead and on the other end of the line, she heard a chair squeal, like Joe had sat upright in a hurry. "Caitlin?" 

"I just got home." Even to her own ears, her voice was low and trembling. "The door to my apartment was open, someone's been in there... I didn't go in-"

"Where are you right now?" His voice was urgent and it sounded like he was moving. 

"In the hallway... should I..."

"Caitlin, I'm dispatching a patrol car and I'm on my way." She heard his voice grow fainter as he shouted out two names, called out her name and address and told them to get there as soon as they could. "Is there some place you can go with people?"

She nodded, already moving. "There's a coffee shop on the corner."

"Go there. Use the stairs, not the elevator and stay on the line, you hear me? I'll be there in a few minutes, but do not hang up the phone until you see me."

Caitlin didn't question him, flew down the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her. The doorman looked confused as she all but ran past him and she didn't stop moving until she got to the coffee shop, found a table where she could see the door and most of the room. With her cell phone to her ear, she could hear the police radio from Joe's car, could hear his muttered oaths as he drove through the traffic which was light at this time of the day but seemingly still too heavy for his tastes. 

"I'm here." It seemed to take a long time before she heard him say the words and as she did, she saw his car pull up outside, blue lights flashing. They clicked off at the same time as she hung up the phone and by the time Joe appeared in the doorway, she was halfway there to meet him. She froze with relief at the sight of him because she suddenly felt like everything was going to be all right, that she wasn't alone. The look on his face when he saw her standing there was a study in relief too and his shoulders slumped as she saw, rather than heard, him mutter, "Oh, thank God." 

Then she wasn't seeing anything because she'd closed the distance between them and walked right up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her head in his chest. His arms went around her too, one hand splaying across her back, the other reaching up to cup the back of her head and he held her so tightly she could hardly breathe. 

She wasn't complaining. 

It didn't do much to stop her shaking though and it didn't last nearly as long as their hug from earlier on that evening. Joe was the one who pulled away first, gripping her by the shoulders and looking her up and down as if inspecting her for any injury. "Are you OK?" he demanded and she nodded, wiping away sudden tears. 

"I'm fine, I didn't go in," she said and he nodded.  

"Good." He glanced over his shoulder to the street outside. "I told the uniforms to go right up. They're going to sweep the place, let me know what they find." He pulled a police radio from his coat pocket, held it up to show her. His other arm, meanwhile, slid around her shoulders and pulled her close. "You didn't see anyone following you?"

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him about seeing Cisco but she knew how crazy that would sound. After all, that had just been her imagination running away with her. So she shook her head and if he noticed the second's hesitation, he didn't call her on it. "No-one."

Just then, the radio let out a squawk and Joe raised it to his lips, pressed a button. "Go ahead."

"We've swept the apartment, Captain." A female voice came through, rough and tinny. "No-one here, but the place was definitely tossed."

"Understood." Joe pursed his lips. "Get CSU to process the place. I'll bring Doctor Snow up, check if anything's missing."

"You might want to warn her." The officer obviously didn't realise that Caitlin was at Joe's side. "The place is a real mess, Sir..."

"Will do." Joe returned the radio to his pocket, gave her an apologetic look. "We can wait as long as you need," he said and she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders. 

"No point delaying the inevitable, right?" She gave him what she hoped was a smile, something that became easier when he squeezed her shoulder and began to walk alongside her. He seemed to lean on her more than usual and when she glanced at him, she understood why. 

"Where's your cane?" 

He stopped dead at the tone of her voice and she realised it had been a while since she'd had to use it, not since the days of Barry and The Flash and STAR Labs. "In the car," he said and she gave him a look, not for the first time either. He gave her one right back. "You know I'm fine going short distances..."

"And you know," she told him, in her voice of sweetest steel, "that I'm a doctor who keeps telling you that's a bad habit to get into." She stared him down, gesturing to the vehicle when he was slow in responding and she knew he was going to do what she'd said when he shook his head, looked away but not before she could see the smile hovering over his lips. "It won't look good if you fall over in front of your men," she pointed out and he chuckled as they moved towards the car. 

"Fair enough." The cane retrieved, they entered her building where they walked past the doorman who was on the end of a hard stare from Joe. When they were in the elevator, he glanced over at Caitlin. "Regular doorman?" 

Caitlin had watched enough crime procedurals to know what he was getting at. "Len's been the regular doorman since I moved in three years ago," she told him but his lips stayed pressed into that thin line. Too late, she remembered that Harrison Wells had been her mentor, her friend, for even longer. 

"Uh-huh." He didn't say anything else until they got to her apartment door which was now wide open, exposing the broken lamp to her gaze. That, it turned out, was the least of the damage and she sucked in a deep breath as she walked in further. 

"I think your officer was soft selling it," she murmured. Every drawer in the living room and kitchen had been pulled out and emptied, couch cushions on the floor, pictures pulled from their frames, pushed off tables and pulled off walls. Slowly she picked her way down the hall towards her bedroom, finding the same story there, her neatly made bed a distant memory, her clothes flung from the closet and onto the floor, dressed drawers and jewellery boxes upended. 

Turning to Joe, she was surprised to see him no longer beside her. He hadn't come into the room with her, choosing instead to remain in the doorway, and even then he had his back to her and the room. She could see the thin line of tension in his shoulders from clear across the room and when she walked over to him, laid a hand on his shoulder, he actually startled. Turning his head to look down at her, she could see a faint flush on his cheeks and he leaned on his cane, tapping his finger against the top of it. "Anything missing?" he asked, and she knew him well enough to detect the faintest hint of awkwardness in his voice. 

"It's hard to know," she said, shaking her head, fighting a smile that this man who had seen so much in his life would baulk at entering her bedroom. Shaking her head, she walked back into the living room, took another glance around. "I don't even know where to start." 

Just then, she heard a familiar voice behind her. "I spoke to the neighbours, they didn't see anything. I'll get uniforms to canvass the other floors." Eddie's blue eyes widened as they fell on her. "Hey, Caitlin, how are you doing?" 

At a loss of how to answer that, Caitlin simply let out a breath and shook her head. From the sympathetic smile he gave her, Eddie knew just what she meant. "What are you doing here?" she asked, wincing when she realised how it sounded but he just smiled again. 

"I was just heading out for the night when I heard Joe call for uniforms to come here." He shrugged. "Once I heard your name, I came along. Figured another set of eyes wouldn't hurt." He looked around again, blew out a low whistle between his teeth. "Joe filled me in on the way on the way to the cars... you're sure you didn't see anyone around?"

Once again, Caitlin remembered the ghostly image of Cisco - though, she remembered with a shudder, he hadn't looked much like a ghost. He'd looked real, corporeal, like she could have reached out and touched him if she'd been close enough. "No," she said to the two men and if they'd noticed her shudder, they must just have interpreted it as a reaction to the situation. "I didn't see anyone."

The world's worst liar she might have been but they didn't question her. Instead, Eddie looked at Joe. "CSU are on their way," he said. 

"And we need to talk to the doorman too." Joe ignored Caitlin's  glare. 

"I'll do that," Eddie volunteered. "Though I don't think he'll be much help... he looked pretty surprised when we all came in." He turned to Caitlin. "Do you have somewhere you can stay tonight?"

Caitlin's jaw dropped, the thought not having occurred to her, but once Eddie said it, it was obvious that there was no way she could sleep here, even if she wanted to, which she definitely didn't. She was considering nearby hotels when Joe spoke. "Put some stuff in a bag," he told her. "You can stay at our place."

Caitlin blinked and Eddie did a hard double take. "That's not-" Caitlin began, and Joe cut her off. 

"Barry's old room is empty," he reminded her and Caitlin found herself thinking that it was a measure of how seriously he was taking this that he didn't blink at the reminder that the reason Barry's old room was empty was that he was now sharing a room with Iris. From the corner of her eye, she could see that Eddie hadn't reacted to it either and she went cold all over. "I'll bring you back over tomorrow; Barry and Iris will be back then, we can help you tidy up, see if anything is missing." He jerked his head in the direction of her bedroom. "Go ahead, take your time."

"OK." She made her way towards the bedroom, but when she was out of sight of them, she paused for a moment, listened to their quiet voices - she might be a bad liar, but she'd always had excellent hearing. "You sure this is a good idea?" Eddie asked and Joe's answer, when it came, was terse. 

"I want her where we can keep an eye on her," he said. "The anniversary, her thinking people are following her, now this? Her place all torn up, no-one seen coming in or out?" There was a pause. "I don't like it."

The way he phrased it - "no-one seen" - gave Caitlin the shivers because she could work out what he was thinking; that maybe the reason no-one had been seen is that they were moving too fast to be seen. Eddie must have worked that out too because he said, with dawning incredulity, "You don't think..."

"We never caught him." Joe didn't sound happy at the idea; he'd said much the same thing to her in the diner earlier on, it sounded much more sinister now. "And you know as well as I do... Harrison Wells had everything planned out, he was patient, methodical... and wherever he is, he's had a year to come up with a new plan. If it involves Caitlin..." His voice trailed off and Caitlin's stomach flipped. 

"What do you want me to do?"

"Stay here... CSU, the uniforms, they all report to you, talk to the doorman yourself. Let me know what they find. I'll take care of Caitlin."

"Got it." There was something different about Eddie's tone, a quality to it that Caitlin didn't understand, not without seeing his face. Pushing her curiosity aside, she made her way into her room, grabbing a bag from the floor and picking up various items of clothing to put into it. Finding her toiletries was an interesting experience - even if she was hiding something, would she really hide it in the bathroom? Apparently someone thought so - and by the time she emerged into the living room, the crime scene technicians had arrived and Joe was glancing at his watch. 

"Sorry... it took a while to find everything." 

"Hey, it's a woman's prerogative to keep men waiting, or so Iris used to tell me." Eddie was going for a joke but it fell flat, leaving Joe glaring at him and Caitlin looking awkwardly at the carpet. 

"Right." Joe's voice was a bullet and when she looked up through her lashes, Caitlin could see Eddie's cheeks flushing pink, his face appalled by how his words had been received. "We'll get going." He inclined his head towards the door, went to take Caitlin's bag for her. She considered fighting him on it but decided it wasn't worth the effort, besides the bag was light  enough. They walked slowly to the elevator and past the doorman who was by now looking thoroughly perplexed. Caitlin gave him a sympathetic smile, knowing that things would only get worse for him once Eddie began interrogating him. 

Joe turned off the police radio as they drove and they drove in silence, Caitlin nervously chewing on her thumbnail as the streets sped by. The West house was a welcome sight when they pulled up outside it - Caitlin had spent quite a few evenings there over the last twelve months, enjoying their company and Iris's cooking and she'd long since come to associate those four walls with comfort and safety. Joe took her coat, hung it up beside his before leading her up the stairs, showing her to Barry's old room. "You should be fine here," he said. "Bathroom's down the hall... I'll leave out some fresh towels for you." 

"Thank you." Caitlin moved over to sit on the bed, pulled off her shoes with a sigh of relief - it had been a long day. "For everything." 

Joe shrugged, but a small smile hovered around his lips. "It's nothing." He gestured with one thumb over his shoulder as he pulled off his tie with the other hand. "My room's just down then hall, you know where everything is... just make yourself at home."  Glancing at his watch, he took a step towards the hallway. "I'll let you get some sleep."

A wry chuckle escaped Caitlin's lips and she pinched the bridge of her nose, held her fingers there for a moment. It was safe to say that no matter how long a day it had been, she was wide awake, mind spinning, sleep a long way off. "I'm not so sure that's going to happen." 

Joe hesitated for only a second. "In view of the circumstances, I'm willing to share the remote control if you'd like a nightcap."

Caitlin felt her lips twitch. "That's very generous of you."

Joe's gaze on her was steady, even as his lips twitched too. "I'm a generous guy," he drawled and she giggled, standing and joining him as they walked down the stairs. 

In a matter of minutes they were settled at either end of the couch, a generous measure of bourbon in hand. They ended up compromising on _Marnie_ \- he liked Hitchcock, she confessed to her lifelong crush on Sean Connery - but Caitlin found herself with her cheek resting on the back of the couch, looking at Joe more than she was watching the movie. When he caught her, he raised an eyebrow. "What?" 

Maybe it was the warmth of the room or the warmth of his gaze, maybe it was the warmth of the bourbon but the words came unbidden from Caitlin's mouth. "You have nightmares too, don't you?" 

Joe blinked before he looked away, rattled the ice in his glass before he raised it to his lips. A long swallow later, he turned back to her. "Don't we all?" 

Several times that day, he'd said her name and nothing else, using it as warning and question both. Now it was her turn. "Joe..."

Much to her surprise, he chuckled. "Oh, I ain't heard my name said like that since my mama passed."  Caitlin frowned, made a face like she wasn't sure whether she was being insulted or complimented, which was pretty much how she felt. It must have been obvious because Joe continued, "That's not a bad thing, by the way. Honest."

"Unlike you trying to change the subject." If she was a little bit more arch than usual, Caitlin didn't feel guilty, especially not when Joe inclined his head, raised his glass in silent salute. 

"They vary," he eventually admitted. "Sometimes it's replaying what actually happened - the boat, Mardon, this huge wall of water coming towards us after Barry turned it back. I feel the boat going up, see him going overboard, hear him scream... And sometimes the cuffs don't hold, and I go overboard with him." His shudder was visible and Caitlin scooted a little closer on the couch. "Sometimes I'm not alone... he's got Iris tied up, she's bleeding, crying... sometimes Barry's there, sometimes you..." He bit his lip, raised his eyes to the ceiling. It took another sip of bourbon before he was ready to talk and Caitlin joined him. "I always wake up just as the water hits me." 

Caitlin could easily imagine the feeling and his haunted eyes made a lot of sense. She sipped at her bourbon before laying the glass down on the table. Her hand closed over his knee and she stared at it for a second before she looked at his face. His eyes were closed, his lips pressed tightly together and she could feel the slight tremor that ran through his body. He didn't let anyone see him like this, she knew, too busy being strong for Barry and Iris, and, yes, for her too - she'd been enough of a visitor to this house to begin to consider herself almost an honorary part of the family. How much, she wondered now, did his strength cost him? And who was there to help put him back together?

"You know, you _can_ talk to me," she said gently. "I mean, how many nights have we done dishes together here when Barry and Iris have..." His gaze narrowed, her lips twitched. "Retired to play scrabble?" 

"Nice try." His hand closed over hers. "And thank you." 

She shrugged, grinned brightly, even if she didn't feel like it. "Any time." From the television screen, a snippet of familiar dialogue caught her ear and she glanced around. "Hold on," she said. "It's getting to the good part."

Joe's fingers tightened on hers. "I know." 

As it happened, Caitlin hadn't been lying, the movie was getting to one of her favourite parts but even that wasn't enough to stop her eyelids from getting heavier and heavier as the stresses of the day, the last few days come to that, threatened to catch up to her. She promised herself that she'd make her excuses and head upstairs in just a couple of minutes, definitely at the next commercial break, but the next thing she knew, she was opening her eyes and blinking at the early morning sunlight streaming through a crack in the curtains. 

Shifting, she tried to sit up only to discover that she couldn't move. Which startled her a little in her half awake state but when she opened her eyes fully, she realised where she was. Still on the couch in the West Allen living room where she'd evidently fallen asleep during the movie. She wasn't sitting any more though, was lying down with the blue throw that had been neatly folded over the back of the couch last night now thrown haphazardly over her legs. Nor was she alone, because her pillow was Joe's chest, and the reason she couldn't move was because his arms were wrapped around her, holding her tightly. He was still asleep, legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles. His breathing was deep and even, and it seemed to her that the lines in his forehead and around his eyes that had seemed so pronounced last night were lessened now. She stared up at him and a small smile came unbidden to her lips as a rush of tenderness coursed through her, and though there was a part of her that knew she should move, that this threatened to be very awkward when they both woke up, there was a larger part of her that didn't want to disturb him. 

That was the part she listened to. 

Closing her eyes, she laid her head back on his chest, listened to his breathing, to his heartbeat. It had been a long time since she'd woken up beside anyone, longer than she cared to think about and she'd forgotten how nice it was. Not even the knowledge that this was an accident at best could take that feeling of tranquillity and safety away from her and there was a smile on her lips as she drifted off into a light doze. 

She came to with a start as her "pillow" lurched underneath her and she lifted her head slowly, blinking as she looked into Joe's very wide, very startled eyes. His arms were still around her and she realised as he shifted that his hands had drifted lower since the previous time she'd woken, were now resting on the small of her back, very close to moving lower still. The thought flitted through her mind that it didn't feel unpleasant, didn't feel awkward or wrong but that thought was quickly driven out of her mind when Joe began to sputter apologies. 

"It's OK." Her quiet words still his tongue and he blinked, then frowned. 

"It is?"

He sounded confused, looked it too and Caitlin smiled gently as one of her hands went to his chest, using it as leverage to lift herself up. "You make a pretty comfortable pillow, you know," she told him and he smiled faintly as his hands moved very carefully away from her body. Swinging herself into a sitting position, Caitlin stretched her arms above her head as high as they would go, wincing when she heard as well as felt the audible pop. "Besides," she said, "I woke up a little while ago but you were still dead to the world... I figured we both needed the sleep."

Joe sat up too, flexed his legs, hissing when his left knee bent agonisingly slowly. Caitlin bit her lip, not having considered that fact and when Joe looked at her, saw that, he shook his head.  "Don't say a word," he ordered. "I can't remember the last time I slept through like that... I can live with a stiff knee." He glanced over his shoulder towards the kitchen. "Why don't you go have a shower... I'll make us some breakfast."

Caitlin nodded, the very fact that this wasn't weird and awkward buoying her spirits. "That sounds good." 

By the time she made back it down the stairs, clothes changed, wet hair pulled back into a ponytail, it smelled good too. "I looked at the clock and figured it was more like brunch," he said. "So, we have French toast and bacon, and fruit if you'd prefer." He indicated the platter before he pulled out a chair for her. "And if we could not mention the bacon to Iris?" 

Caitlin giggled, snagged one of the crispier pieces from the plate in the middle of the table. "Your secret's safe with me." She sat on the proffered chair, smiling in surprise when he pushed it in for her. She nodded her thanks when he offered her some coffee and when he sat down, they ate in silence for a moment before she asked, "So, what's the plan for today?" 

He sighed. "I called Eddie while you were showering." From the heavy tone of his voice, she sensed it wasn't good news. "CSU found no prints. Not just no workable prints. None at all."

Caitlin frowned. "Not even mine?"

"Nope." The edges of Joe's lips quirked up. "And no offence, but I don't think even you are that neat and tidy. Eddie spoke to the doorman, uniforms canvassed everyone on every floor, no-one saw anything." He took a sip of his coffee. "We'll go over there later on, start the clean up, see if we can find what's missing... but, Caitlin, I gotta tell you, I'm not too wild on you staying there alone, at least not until we catch this guy." 

A shudder ran the length of Caitlin's spine and Joe didn't miss it, the frown lines on his forehead becoming more pronounced. "What's the alternative?" she asked. "I can't sleep on your couch indefinitely..."

She couldn't be sure but it certainly looked like Joe's cheeks darkened at the reminder of how they'd spent the previous night. "We have a spare room," he reminded her. "And it's not indefinite... just for a few nights, either until we catch whoever it is that's doing this, or until the plain clothes detail I'm putting outside the building die of boredom." 

He was trying to put her at ease, she knew that. It might have worked too, were it not for the fact that she knew him well enough to see not only the worry in his eyes but also the tension along his shoulders. "OK," she said, because to be honest, she wasn't wild about the prospect of staying in that apartment right now anyway. "And I know I've said this before, but thank you. For everything."

Joe opened his mouth then closed it again. Laying his fork down, he rubbed one hand over his chin. It looked to Caitlin as if he was trying to say something, or stop himself saying something, she couldn't be sure which. It didn't become much clearer when he sighed, took his hand away from his lips and reached out, covering her hand with his. "Caitlin-"

But whatever he was going to say was interrupted by the front door opening, by the laughter of Barry and Iris returning home. 

"It's just us, Dad," Iris called, her laughter fading when she saw Joe and Caitlin sitting side by side at the table. Joe had snatched his hand away when he'd heard the door opening so she didn't see that, but her eyes widened in surprise anyway. Not that Caitlin could blame her, because she could see how it would look strange to Iris; Caitlin sitting at the kitchen table, hair still wet from a shower, in casual clothes, obviously sharing breakfast with Joe, still in one of his work shirts, albeit open at the collar, and suit trousers. 

"Caitlin!" Behind Iris, Barry's eyes were equally wide. "What are you doing here?"

Iris's eyes narrowed, flicking between Joe and Caitlin. "What's wrong?"

Caitlin glanced at Joe, took a deep breath and started with the most obvious, verifiable problem. "My place got broken into yesterday."

Iris gasped. "That's terrible."

"Why didn't you call me?" Barry asked. "I could have been there in..." He stopped talking when Iris's head swung in his direction and Caitlin pressed her lips together to hold back a smile, looking down at the table. "But of course I wouldn't have been able to because I was with my lovely girlfriend who I would not abandon during our much needed romantic getaway." 

"Relax, _Flash_." Iris laid her hand on his shoulder, patted it fondly which somewhat negated the slight rolling of her eyes. "For Caitlin, I'd give you a pass." It was hard to say who was more surprised by those words, Barry, Caitlin or Joe, but Iris didn't dwell on it, instead dropping down into the chair beside Caitlin. "Was much stuff taken?"

"We... ah... we don't know." Caitlin glanced over at Joe. 

"The place was pretty trashed," he said. "The crime scene boys needed time to do their thing, so I brought Caitlin over here." Iris's mouth opened and he answered her question before she even had a chance to ask it. "They didn't find anything."

Barry considered that for a second. "I can have another look, see if they missed anything?" It took Caitlin probably longer than it should have to realise that he was actually asking Joe, as Captain, if he was allowed to do that, knowing the tightrope he walked as a police employee while being the Captain's adoptive son and prospective son-in-law. 

"I don't think it'll make a difference," Joe said slowly, his eyes meeting Caitlin's. "You can look all day, you won't find anything."

"How do you know?" asked Barry at the same time as Iris asked, "What aren't you telling us?" 

Caitlin looked at the two of them, then back to Joe who lifted a hand about an inch off the table, clearly letting her know that it was her tale to tell and he was going to let her tell it. "I thought I was imagining things at first," she said slowly. "I'd be walking down the street and feel like someone was watching me... but then when I'd turn around, no-one would be there. I thought it was with the anniversary coming up, it was just me being paranoid. Until I got home last night and my front door was open." 

Iris was looking between her and Joe like she was a spectator at a tennis match. "You don't think..." Her voice trailed off because it was obvious to them all that that was exactly what Joe was thinking. 

"No fingerprints, no sign of anyone going in or out, no reports of anyone hearing anything."  Joe ticked them off on his fingers. 

"He's been gone for a year," Barry said, his voice filled with disbelief and Caitlin couldn't blame him. "Why would he come back here? And why would he target Caitlin, why not me?"

"That's the million dollar question." Joe's voice was quiet, calm. "And until we find out the answer, Caitlin's going to stay here." 

Caitlin half expected an objection, instead Iris just nodded. "Of course." She smiled at Caitlin and it even looked genuine. "Whatever the reason, it'll be nice to have another woman around here." 

Barry grinned, picking up on Iris's attempt to lighten the tension. "Joe, I think we should be worried." 

Joe just raised an eyebrow as he pushed himself up from his chair. He winced as he did so, flexing his left knee. "I know we should." He dropped a hand on Iris's shoulder, leaned down to kiss her cheek. "I'm going to have a shower... when you two get unpacked, I thought we'd head to Caitlin's place, let her get some more things, help her tidy up... it's gonna be all hands on deck."

"Not with me there." Barry cracked his knuckles, looking delighted at the prospect of actually being able to do something to help. Sitting down in the chair Joe had just vacated, he reached out and took Caitlin's hand. "But seriously... you should have called me." He glanced at Iris, as if to be sure she wouldn't be angry at that comment; she just nodded. 

"You're our friend, Caitlin. You know we would have dropped everything to come back." 

"Which is exactly why I didn't call you." Caitlin pulled her coffee mug closer to her, wrapped both hands around it to warm herself up. She felt unaccountably chilly for some reason and made a mental note to ask Iris if she had a blow drier; sitting around with wet hair probably wasn't helping things. "You two had been looking forward to your vacation so much, you needed it, you deserved it. Besides, what was I going to say, I get a weird feeling sometimes but when I turn around no-one is there?" 

"But last night-" 

Caitlin cut Barry off. "I honestly didn't even think... When I got home and saw..." She swallowed hard, once again omitting what had freaked her out even worse than the break-in, even now. She knew she was seeing things but Cisco had looked so real. "I got such a fright, I didn't know what to do... If Joe hadn't picked up, I don't know what I would have done." 

Iris frowned, glanced at Barry. "You called my dad?"

Caitlin nodded, looked down into her cup of coffee. "We'd bumped into each other earlier." She looked up again, focussed on a spot somewhere in between them. "At the cemetery." Pain flashed through Barry's features and he looked down, swallowing hard. Iris looked stricken, her hand reaching out to lay on Barry's arm. "It was getting late, we were both heading home so we stopped off for a bite to eat." Again, Iris's gaze swung to Barry but she said nothing. "Joe knew something was bothering me and I ended up telling him everything." She smiled weakly, picturing him as he'd say across the table from her, the steely determination in his eyes, how she'd known he wouldn't stop until he got the answer he was looking for. "I know now why he's got such a good record as a detective." 

Barry smiled, slightly crooked, like he was unsure about something but didn't want to admit it. "Been there," he said and she knew that voice. It was his "placeholder" voice, the tone that he used when he wanted to say something but not what he was really thinking. Not lying, not as such, but definitely not telling the whole truth. She tilted her head, was about to ask him what was wrong but Iris got there before her, with a change of subject. 

"Let me guess... Plain clothes detail outside your place, following you at a discreet distance?" 

"Those were pretty much his exact words." Which struck her as something of a waste of time, given what they knew about the threat she faced but she supposed it couldn't hurt even if it probably couldn't help either. 

"Well, don't worry, Caitlin." Barry squeezed her shoulder, that same crooked smile on his lips. "We won't let anything happen to you."

Caitlin smiled weakly, hid it quickly by taking a mouthful of coffee, wishing it were as simple as that. 

*

"Wow." 

Barry's one syllable assessment of her apartment summed up Caitlin's feelings pretty succinctly. In the cold light of day with her friends surrounding her, the hallway of her building hadn't seemed as scary and she'd passed the spot where she'd seen Cisco with nary a shudder. One foot inside her apartment though and it all came flooding back. 

"I think your definition of trashed needs some work, Dad." Iris let out a low whistle as she dropped a box of cleaning supplies on the couch. "This is worse than your college dorm room, Barry." 

Barry made a face at her that was about an inch away, if that, from sticking his tongue out. It gave Caitlin a moment of respite, but only a moment. "It didn't look this bad last night." 

Joe's lips were pressed into a thin line as his hand ghosted along her shoulder. "Crime scene boys looking for prints," he murmured and Barry snorted. 

"Amateurs." He took one more look around the grinned over brightly. "Allow me, ladies." With a flourish he took a roll of black bin liners from the box on the couch, then with a blast of air and a blur of red, he was away. 

Less than a minute later, the room was back more or less in proper order, as was the rest of the apartment. "Well, almost," Barry reported. "I moved back the furniture in your room, repositioned the drawers... I figured you'd probably prefer to replace the contents yourself." He scratched his ear as he spoke, unable to look at either her or Iris and Caitlin had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. 

"Good call." Iris didn't even bother to keep her smile back. "Caitlin, I'll help you with that? I'm sure you two..." Just then, Joe's cell phone rang. Iris rolled her eyes, threw her hands in the air. "I had to say it."

Joe looked apologetic as he checked the display. "I told them only to call if it was urgent..." Clicking a button, he pressed the phone to his ear. "This is Captain West." He listened for a few moments, face darkening and Caitlin tried not to get nervous, tried not to notice that Iris and Barry moved closer to her. When Joe hung up, he said, "Robbery at First National Bank... With hostages." He glanced at Barry first. "We could use some help."

Barry glanced at Iris. "Go," she said and there was that familiar blast of air as he did as he was told. 

Joe crossed the room, stood in front of Caitlin. "I'm sorry," he said. "The Mayor's office ordered me in..."

"Go." Caitlin laid a hand on his arm. "We'll be fine." 

"Yeah?" He genuinely looked torn and Caitlin nodded, smiling with a bravado she didn't really feel.  "OK." Joe looked at Iris. "Don't leave her alone, OK? And if anything happens..."

"We'll call Barry first, then you." Iris stood shoulder to shoulder with Caitlin. "Besides, isn't there a plain clothes detail in the blue Taurus outside?" Joe narrowed his eyes and she shrugged. "Years of practice." Joe made a noise deep in the back of his throat and might have said more but his phone rang again and he answered it quickly, waving a hand in apology. When he was gone, Iris turned to Caitlin. "You get used to that after a while living with a cop," she said. "Saturdays off are never really off... Always on call." Picking the box of cleaning supplies, now half empty, she gestured in the direction of Caitlin's bedroom, and Caitlin lead the way. "I thought it might change when he got the Captain's job, but..." Her voice faded and it was hard to say of it was because of what the Captain's job entailed or because of the state of the floor. "Wow. It looks like Stacy and Clinton paid you a visit and really hated your wardrobe."

Caitlin burst out laughing at that, though with a slightly hysterical edge to it. Tears came to her eyes and Iris didn't miss a beat, rummaged in the box and came out with a pack of tissues, extracting one and handing it to Caitlin. "C'mon," she said. "I've always wanted to see what was in your wardrobe; let's get started." 

Between the two of them, they made short work of hanging and sorting the clothes in the closet. That much done, Iris set about pairing the shoes scattered around the four corners of the room while Caitlin moved onto the dresser drawers. "Where does this go?" Iris asked after a few minutes and when Caitlin turned around, she was holding a framed picture of her and Ronnie, taken the day he'd asked her to marry him. Caitlin had always loved that picture, had kept it in her room long even after she and Ronnie had agreed that too much had happened for them to work in the long run anymore. She'd thought of it as a memory of happier times, but looking at it now, she had to be honest with herself - it had been over a year and no matter how find the memory, it was time to move on. 

"You know what?" she said. "Just leave it on the bed... I don't think I'll keep that out. Not anymore." 

Iris didn't say anything, just did as she was asked, picking up another frame along the way. "Oh..." she said, a fond smile appearing on her face. "You'll want to keep this one."

She held it out and Caitlin took it from her, grinning at the sights of the smiling faces of herself, Cisco and Barry. Iris had actually taken that photo on one of the nights out they'd all gone on together, back when Barry first became The Flash, when he was still learning his abilities. She remembered that night so well, Barry still lamenting how he couldn't get drunk, Cisco trying to hit on a tall brunette standing by the jukebox, herself and Iris swapping stories about bad chat up lines while trying not to give Cisco any encouragement. "That was a good night," she murmured and Iris's hand landed on her shoulder gently. 

"I know you must miss him a lot," she said quietly. "I know Barry does."

A lump made itself known in Caitlin's throat. "I do. He was a really great guy." 

"I wish I'd got to know him better." Iris sounded wistful as she studied the picture. "He was always so happy...  After Barry woke up, I don't think I ever saw him without a smile."

Cisco's upbeat nature had been one of the things that Caitlin loved most about him. It had also been one of the things that, occasionally, drove her nuts because there had been days where she just wanted to wallow in misery and he'd refused to let her. She knew for a fact she never would have made it through those initial few months after the particle accelerator exploded without him. "He was always there for me," she told Iris. "After Ronnie's funeral, after my parents and his parents had gone home, he practically moved in here..." She laughed softly at the memory. "He just appeared at the door with the biggest bag of ice cream and chips and dip and chocolate and every comfort food you could think of... the entire DVD collection of _Star Trek_ , every incarnation so I could find one to suit my mood, and one change of clothes." She could see him in her mind's eye, debating the finer points of Captain Kirk versus Captain Picard, while maintaining that there was no competition when it came to First Officers, that Spock would always and forever come out in front. A giggle escaped her. "I used to tell him I loved Commander Riker more than Doctor Spock just to see his face turn purple, even though he'd try to be so patient with me, explain exactly and in great detail why I was wrong..."

Iris looked delighted. "I used to do that with Barry when we were kids," she confessed. "It got him every time." 

"No wonder they got along so well." Caitlin sat down on the bed, her mind twelve months and more away. "I wish you could have seen them in STAR Labs together... They'd feed off each other, egg each other on, it'd get so you could practically feel the energy in the room..." She rolled her eyes. "And of course, I'd always have to be the one to play devil's advocate, calm them both down... I never thought I'd miss having to do that." 

"Mercury Labs isn't the same?" Iris sat down beside her, face serious, voice concerned. 

"Not really." Caitlin's lips twisted. "Tina's great, don't get me wrong, I'm so lucky that she offered me a job. But a lot of the other scientists..." She tilted her head, let out a long breath. "Well, when you spend years working with a man who destroyed half the city, stay working with him while he's leading a double life as a murderer... Let's just say people question your judgement." 

Iris bit her lip. "After the tidal wave... after we found out about what he'd done... I begged Mason not to put all the facts in the article. We had the Simon Stagg connection, the meta human story... I didn't want him to bring Cisco's name into it." She looked down, picked at the bedspread. "He didn't listen to me... he was all 'truth, justice, the American way,'... and the editors weren't going to side with the newbie intern over the great Mason Bridge." 

"Iris, I never blamed you for any of that," Caitlin promised. "Once I saw the wheelchair... once I saw Cisco... I knew what Wells was. Knew the last few years of my life were a lie." She traced Cisco's face in the photograph. "But I got Cisco out of it. And I met you, and Barry, and Joe." She shrugged with a small smile. "Every cloud has a silver lining, right?"

"Right." Iris's smile tightened momentarily and the tiniest of lines appeared between her eyebrows. "Listen," she said after a moment, "I've been wanting to ask you something..." She stopped talking, turning her head towards the living room. Caitlin heard the noise too, the trill of a cell phone, a tone she didn't recognise but Iris obviously did. "Damn, that's work. Sorry." 

She hurried out of the room to answer it and Caitlin stood too, placing the photograph of her, Barry and Cisco back on her dresser, tracing Cisco's face one last time before she returned to putting her underwear back in its drawer. When she heard Iris returning she turned, gave the other woman a smile. "Everything OK?" 

Iris rubbed the bridge of her nose. "You're not going to believe this," she said. "Apparently, the paper wants me down at the bank... I asked if anyone else was available; they said it had to be me. Which means they want me to use my 'police connections' to get information no-one else can get." She made air quotes as she said "police connections" in a tone of voice that made Caitlin think that both words should be spelled with four letters. 

"Go," Caitlin said and when Iris looked doubtful, she added, "I'll be fine." 

Iris bit her lip. "It's just after what Dad said..."

Caitlin sighed, shook her head. "Iris, you know no matter what Joe said... If Wells is behind this? It won't matter if I'm alone or not." 

"Not helping." Iris glanced at her phone. "I could call Barry..."

"Iris, really. There's a detail outside, if I see anything off, I'll call Barry myself. I don't want you getting into trouble because of me." 

Just then, Iris's phone rang again with the same ring tone. This time, Iris closed her eyes. "My editor," she said, pressing the button. "Hey, Eric, I'm on my way now..." She waved to Caitlin with an apologetic smile  as she all but ran out the door and Caitlin sighed as she heard the door catch behind her. 

Then, because she wasn't stupid, she went back to her front door, intending to wedge a chair underneath it or something. Much to her surprise, she found a brand new deadbolt that surely hadn't been there the day before. She slid it shut, making a mental note to ask Joe how much she owed him for the locksmith before going to her kitchen and taking one of the chairs, jamming it under the handle anyway. It probably wouldn't make much of a difference but when up against a speedster, every second counted. 

Once the last of the clothes were put away and her bedroom was looking somewhat more organised, she grabbed a suitcase from the closet, taking some of the clothes that had just been put back and folding them neatly inside. The previous night she'd just taken casual clothes; now she grabbed some work-worthy things, pencil skirts and shirts and high heels, and from the bathroom she made it a point to grab her blow drier and other hair styling tools. It was hard to know exactly what to bring when she didn't know how long she'd be staying there, but she told herself that she could always come back if she needed to. She was just about to zip up the suitcase when, on a whim, she grabbed the photograph of her and Barry and Cisco, wrapping it up in one of her sweaters and laying it carefully on top. That done, she checked the clock, grimacing when she realised how late it was - hopefully the others were back in the West house by now; if not, she'd have to call Barry to zoom over and let her in. She took one final look around, just to check she had everything, then headed for the front door, finding her car keys in her purse and having them in her hand, one key extended as if that would do her any good. She'd just moved the chair to the side of the door when she heard a voice. 

"Caitlin, wait." 

She froze. 

Because that voice was an impossibility. 

Tightening her grip on the chair, not sure if that was because she intended to use it as a weapon or because it was the only thing keeping her upright, she turned slowly, her heart pounding in her chest. 

"Caitlin, it's OK," Cisco said, stretching his hand out towards her, the same way he'd respond to a particularly skittish animal. "It's me."

"No." Caitlin whispered, shaking her head and gripping the chair so tightly that her knuckles went white. "No, it's a trick."

"No trick." His two palms went up, facing her and he took a step towards her. She took a corresponding one in the opposite direction and her back hit the front door. "I know this is a shock..."

Caitlin laughed, a sound so harsh and terrible that it barely seemed human. "You're dead," she told him. "I saw you die, I held your body, I stood by your grave yesterday..."

"I know. I was there." She frowned and he blinked like he'd just realised what he said. "Not there, there. Not the dying part. The cemetery part." A visible shudder ran the length of his body. "I thought you saw me.... I was about to say something to you. Then I saw the gravestone." Another shudder. "Kinda shocked me back to reality... No-one should see their own tombstone, Caitlin, it's just not natural." 

Caitlin narrowed her eyes, remembering a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. "That was you?"

Cisco smiled, like he knew she believed him, or at least was going to give him a hearing. "Look, do you want to sit down? This is going to be a lot to take in." 

"Going to be?" Caitlin's eyebrows climbed towards her hairline and he grinned. 

"I'd help you, but..." He waved a hand at the chair she was still holding and Caitlin tried not to recoil as his hand passed right though it. It took considerable effort to uncurl her fingers, even more not to slip free the deadbolt and run for the street as fast as her legs would carry her. Instead, she walked to her couch, dropped onto it gratefully and stared up at Cisco standing in front of her. 

"Well?" She crossed her legs, lacing together her fingers over her knee, hoping he couldn't see her shaking. She gave him her best steely look, the one that had served her well in STAR Labs with him and his shoulders rose up so that they were almost level with his ears as he twisted his fingers together. 

"OK... so the first thing you should probably know is that I'm not _your_ Cisco. I mean, not yours as in yours, in a physical, romantic sense, naturally. But as in, from another dimension? But not evil mirror universe Cisco, if that's what you're thinking..."

"Well no." Caitlin spoke without thinking because whatever dimension he might be from, he certainly sounded like the Cisco she'd known. "Because then you'd have a beard." 

Cisco's eyes widened and he clapped his hands over his mouth. A giggle of pure glee burst from his lips. "Did you just make a _Star Trek_ joke?" When Caitlin pressed his lips together and raised her eyebrows in answer, his hands came down and he joined them in front of his chest like he was praying. "Oh man, if you weren't married to Ronnie, you'd be, like, my perfect woman right now, I swear. What?"

The last was said with a frown because she'd winced at what he said; she couldn't help it. "I'm not married to Ronnie," she said quietly, putting both feet down on the ground, wrapping her arms around her middle. 

Cisco's face went slack with shock. "You're not? But why?"

Caitlin shrugged, struggling to find the words to explain. Even now, even though she'd talked about it so nonchalantly with Joe the previous evening, it still sometimes seemed strange to her that they had called it quits at all. It was even stranger that after all the tears, all the longing, all the wishing and hoping, it had been so easy for her.  "He was gone for a year after the accelerator exploded... You know about that?" 

He nodded. "Our reality too. But when we found him... I mean, yeah, he went off with Stein... You know Stein?" It was Caitlin's turn to nod. "But then he came back and you two got married... that didn't happen?"

Caitlin shook her head. "When he came back, it was for your funeral. He wanted me to go back to Coast City with him, but..." She closed her eyes because it hurt to remember that conversation, remember the pain of those days and weeks. It had taken her nearly a year to recover from "losing" Ronnie; losing Cisco, especially in the manner she had, had thrown her into a tailspin that was almost worse. "I wasn't the Caitlin he knew anymore. We both knew it would never work." 

"Wow." Cisco sounded sad, almost disappointed. "A universe where you guys aren't together... That's new."

It took Caitlin a second to realise what he meant. "How can you know that?"

"Because." Cisco's eyes gleamed. "I can see them. The other dimensions. When the particle accelerator exploded, when the meta humans were created? It affected me too. I didn't know it at the time, it's been a recent discovery... And up until now, despite our best technological efforts, all I've been able to do is observe, this one is different. I couldn't figure out why at first... Not until I saw..." He made a face and he didn't have to say anything else; she knew what he meant. "It was Dr Stein who suggested that because there was no other me here that I could manifest more strongly." He shrugged. "We're still trying to figure out the science of all this. It's not like on _Trek_." Now he did sound disappointed, like his childhood dream had been ruined. Of course, Caitlin realised, it probably had. 

"OK." Caitlin rubbed her temples. "If what you're saying is true... And God help me, it actually even makes sense... why are you here?"

Cisco pressed his lips together, came closer to her. "Because you're in danger." 

He looked so serious, so worried that Caitlin didn't have to ask why, or from who. "Wells."

"He's not Harrison Wells," Cisco told her. "Harrison Wells, the real Harrison Wells, he died sixteen years ago."

"Then who..."

"I'm going to need you to hang in here, OK, Caitlin? Because this is going to sound really incredible." 

This time when Caitlin glared at him, it wasn't for show. "I'm talking to my dead best friend from another dimension; I think we've gone past incredible."

Cisco blinked. "I'm your best friend?" She concentrated her glare and he shook his head as if to clear it. "Right. Wells." He took a deep breath. "The man you knew as Harrison Wells... his real name is Eobard Thawne."

"Like Eddie?" Despite herself, she glanced at the exact spot where he'd stood the previous night, so concerned about her. Eddie had always been so nice to her, to all of them; Caitlin knew from talking with Iris over the last year that one of her biggest regrets was the pain she'd caused him when she'd realised her feelings for Barry. It was impossible for her to believe that someone so fundamentally decent could be related to the man who'd killed Cisco, who'd destroyed her life, who'd lied to her for so long. 

"Distant relation." Cisco was frowning with the special "I'm worried about you, Caitlin," look that he used to get sometimes. "Distant as in from centuries in the future distant. Oh yeah," he added off her surprised look. "Time travel. I know how you love that." Caitlin closed her eyes, because time travel in movies always tended to make her ears bleed, and Cisco knew it. "We're not really sure that we can trust what he's told us, mostly because he's a psycho who plays his cards close to his chest in every dimension, so what we do know is that he's said, as he's twirling his metaphorical evil moustache, that he's from the future, that he travelled back in time sixteen years ago-"

"To kill Barry's mom." That much didn't take a genius to work out. "He was the man in yellow Barry always said he saw." 

"This is the kicker." Cisco paused as if bracing himself. "He wasn't the only speedster there that night. Barry... or some version of adult Barry, travelled back too. They fought... and somehow Barry got back to where... when? Anyway, he managed to get home. We think." Cisco frowned, and the lines on his forehead deepened when he looked at Caitlin. From that, she gleaned that she was looking like she wanted to go back in time and stop this conversation from happening, which was pretty much how she felt.  "Wells... Thawne.... Got stranded here. And he needs Barry's speed to get him back home again."

"Which is why he kept on pushing Barry to get faster." The pieces were slotting together in Caitlin's mind. "So why is he after me? And how do you know he is?"

"Because I was here... Yesterday. I saw him... well, I saw a yellow blur, that's close enough right? It was a few minutes before you arrived home... you were walking down the hallway, checking your mail..."

So she hadn't been imagining things. "I saw you."

"I was trying to warn you about the break-in, but it was too much, I couldn't hold it... I'm sorry." He looked genuinely worried. "He was gone, by the time you got here, I mean. If that's any consolation."

Her smile felt weak, even to her. If the way his face fell was any indication, it looked it too. "Not really." She ran a hand over her hair, down her ponytail. "I guess... I just hoped that he wouldn't come back. That I'd never have to see him again." She'd spent the whole day hoping that Joe was wrong, that it was just some random coincidence, even though she knew how unlikely that was. She also thought that she'd been preparing herself for the possibility that Joe was right, now she knew that she wasn't prepared in the slightest. Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself fully upright, straightened her shoulders - no matter how unprepared she felt, it was important she found out as much as she could. "Why was he here? What does he want with me?" 

"It's probably what he wants from both of us... you and me." Cisco frowned suddenly. "We think he needs your bio-tech skills and my engineering skills... damn it, not now!" 

"Not now what?" His obvious annoyance scared Caitlin because she could count on the fingers of one hand the amount of times she'd seen him angry. Then she realised what it was because he flickered slightly, faded and grew dimmer. "Cisco?" 

"Damn it, damn it, damn it..." Cisco screwed up his eyes, his brow furrowing in concentration. "I'm trying to stay... I prom-"

And he was gone, leaving Caitlin staring at empty air. 

She didn't know how long she sat there but she knew that when she did, her legs ached with stiffness and when she reached up to touch her cheeks, they were wet and cold with tears she didn't even remember crying. Wiping them away impatiently she moved slowly towards the door, grabbed her bag with one hand and the chair with the other, heading down to the parking garage and her car. 

She drove to Joe's on auto-pilot, knocked on the door and it was wrenched open to a panicked looking Iris. "Where have you been, my dad's been going-" Her questions died as she looked at Caitlin, her eyes growing wider, her jaw dropping. "Oh my God, Caitlin, what happened?" She wrapped an arm around Caitlin's shoulders, all but pulling her into the house. "Dad!" 

She heard fast moving footsteps, one beat longer than the other and then Joe came around the corner, his face falling when he saw Caitlin. She was expecting questions, demands for information, but there was none of that. Instead he closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds, wrapped his arms around her without hesitation and pulled her close against his body. She'd never been so glad that he didn't usually use his cane around the house because it meant both his hands were free for this and Caitlin didn't even think twice about wrapping her arms around his waist  and burying her head in his chest. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath, felt more tears rising in her throat as she began to tremble. 

"It's OK." His voice was no more than a whisper, so quiet that she could barely hear him. "I've got you... you're safe." 

She nodded but didn't lift her head, didn't open her eyes. "I know." 

Eventually he loosened his hold on her and she took a deep breath as she stepped back. Trying to give him a small smile, she wiped her cheeks with the back of one hand. "I'm OK." 

Joe's hands settled on her shoulders, squeezed gently. "Caitlin, you really need to stop lying. You suck at it." She looked down, smiling a genuine smile at the familiar but fond rebuke and his arm moved around her shoulders, pulling her flush against his side. "C'mon, let's get you sitting down." 

He brought her over to the couch, put her sitting down before crossing the room and pouring her a generous glass of bourbon. He looked over at her after pouring it, tilted his head in consideration then poured another splash into the glass. While he was doing that, Iris emerged from the kitchen, her cell phone in her hand. "I'll call Barry," she said, pressing a couple of button and when he answered, the sum total of the conversation was, "Get home." 

Seconds later there was the slam of the front door and a familiar blast of air and Barry was standing in the middle of the room, eyes scanning everyone, face paling when he saw Caitlin. "What happened?" he demanded, kneeling down in front of her. "Was it Wells? Did he threaten you?" He paused, eyes darkening as if a terrible thought had just occurred to him. "Did he hurt you?"

"No." Even to her own ears, Caitlin's voice was hoarse and when she reached out a hand to accept the glass that Joe was offering her, it was visibly shaking. Her fingers brushed against Joe's as he handed over the glass, not letting go until he was sure she was holding it securely and the warmth of his hand surprised her - she hadn't realised hers were so cold. She sipped the bourbon, grateful for the warmth it spread through her body.  "No," she said again, her voice stronger. "Not Wells."

"Then what?" Barry's voice was urgent and Joe took a step towards Caitlin, held a hand out towards Barry, like he was going to tell him to calm down. Barry didn't let him speak though, just went on with, "What else can have you looking like that?"

"Cisco." The word stopped him in his tracks, had his mouth snapping shut, his head whirling towards Joe and Iris. Caitlin's fingers tightened around  the glass. "It was Cisco."

"Caitlin..." Barry's voice was as soft as she'd ever heard it. "Cisco's gone."

"I know." Caitlin nodded. "I know that... But I saw him. Today. And last night, in the hallway of my building, before I got to my front door... he was there." Barry looked back around at Joe and Iris who were wearing expressions that waged war somewhere between concern and disbelief. "He spoke to me."

"You've been under a lot of stress..." Joe began. 

"And we were talking about Cisco this afternoon," Iris reminded her. "Maybe..."

"I _saw_ him, don't you understand that? Like I see you all now." Caitlin was aware of an edge of hysteria creeping into her voice but she couldn't stop it. "He was there. It was him..." She shook her head, stood up so quickly that not even Barry's super speed could keep him from rocking backwards and nearly falling. "I am not going crazy."

"You should listen to her."

The voice was quiet, calm, and had every head in the room snapping around in its direction. "Cisco," Barry breathed, standing up straight and staring at the other man who, unlike his earlier appearance, now looked to be slightly more solid to Caitlin. 

"Hey, Barry." Cisco smiled at him. "Iris, Joe... I know this is a shock."

"You could say that." Joe's voice was almost a growl as he moved, never taking his eyes off Cisco, to stand in front of Caitlin. The fingers of his right hand twitched at his side and Caitlin knew he was wishing his gun was at his hip. "Care to explain?"

Cisco's lips quirked up in a grin, his eyes dancing as he looked at Joe. "I'm not a ghost, Joe," he said. "And I'm not your Cisco... I'm from a parallel dimension... one where events have unfolded a little differently. Like _Sliding Doors_." He grimaced. "Two hours of my life I am never getting back..."

"So why are you here?" Brows knit in a frown, Iris had stepped closer to Cisco, or at least as close as she could get with Barry standing in between them. "Why can we see you?"

"Because I'm a meta human... I have been since the accelerator exploded, I just didn't know it. I can see between universes... observe other dimensions  Usually, that's all I can do, except we're developing some bio-tech that lets me interact too." He shot Caitlin a quick grin. "That's what I was trying to tell you before I fizzled out earlier; we're still ironing out some kinks." He shrugged, looked around him. "This is actually the only reality it's worked with... We think it's because..." He shuddered, rolled his shoulders. "Well, you know."

"How do we know this isn't some game Wells is running on us?" Joe's eyes were narrowed to a laser like glare. "We know Wells has fooled us with holograms before... Who's to say you're not some trick he's rigged up, programmed to answer what we might ask?"

Cisco spread his hands. "I have nothing  to hide. Go ahead. Ask me anything. Especially stuff Doctor Wells mightn't have known." His smile faltered. "And let's just hope the two of us aren't that different because that could be embarrassing..." 

To Caitlin's surprise, it was Iris, rather than Barry, who spoke. Without batting an eyelash, with a perfectly inscrutable face, she asked, "Who's the better first officer... Commander Riker or Doctor Spock?"

The effect on Cisco was instant. With an audible sniff he drew himself up to his full height and stared at Iris with narrowed eyes. "OK, due to my current status as an incorporeal being, I feel safe in saying that you two-" He waved a finger between Joe and Barry "-need to better educate your lady over there." His index finger pointed skywards. "First of all, _Doctor_ Spock wrote childcare books. _Mister_ Spock was the first officer on the _Enterprise_. And second, and most importantly, there is no parallel universe,  no other dimension, and I speak with eminent authority on this, in which Commander Ladies Man McBeardy could ever... _ever_ hold a candle to Spock, I mean... what? What? Why are you laughing?"

Caitlin had broken first, hiding her giggles behind her hand even as tears came into her eyes. Iris was smirking like the cat that got the canary while Barry's grin was ear to ear. "Cisco, it's really you," he announced and Cisco's jaw dropped as he realised what had happened. 

"Oh, well played, Iris, well played." He raised his hands in a golf clap, shook his head with a grin on his face. "I retract my statement about you needing an education." Glancing over at Joe, he gulped. "Please don't hurt me."

"Not even if you were corporeal," Joe promised with a smile.  Caitlin grinned up at him, as much for what he said as the way he said it, the obvious fondness there. He must have seen the movement from the corner of his eye because he glanced down at her and his hand tightened on hers. His grip was firm and warm, as warm as his eyes and his smile and Caitlin was glad he looked back to Cisco when he did because it meant he didn't see the flare of knowledge in her eyes, the knowledge that he was holding her hand when she didn't remember him taking it, didn't know if she was the one who had initiated contact or if he had. And it definitely meant that he didn't see the moment that she realised that, while it should have felt odd, should have felt out of the ordinary, it didn't. "It's good to see you, Cisco... we've missed you around here." 

Cisco looked pleased to hear it. "Thanks." His eyes moved past Joe, met Caitlin's. "Sorry for fading out on you earlier... Like I say, you and Doctor Stein are still working out the bugs." 

"Stein?" Barry blinked. "As in Martin Stein?"

Cisco nodded. "He and Ronnie came back to town after we found out about Doctor Wells. He's our new leader..." He chuckled like he was remembering a joke. "Though he hates it when we call him that, his face goes all red and veiny..." His fingers wiggled around his cheeks as he screwed his eyes up in illustration before stopping suddenly, face paling. "And I really hope he can't hear every word I'm saying right now." 

"So... You all work together?" Joe's voice was slow, curious and something in there made Caitlin shiver and not in a good way. 

Cisco met Joe's eyes, then his travelled down unmistakably to his hand, still joined with Caitlin's. "Like I said..." His voice was quiet, his tone one Caitlin recognised as carefully neutral. "Some things are different." 

There was a moment of silence, broken by Iris. "Like Wells being after Caitlin, you mean." Her voice was bright, chirpy, her hand movements quick. "What can you tell us about that?"

Cisco gave Caitlin a brief, tight smile before turning to Iris with a nod. "Spoken like a true reporter." He flexed his hands, cracking his knuckles without a sound. "First, you have to know, he's not the real Harrison Wells. The real Harrison Wells died sixteen years ago... The man you know is an imposter who has some seriously future tech that lets him basically photocopy someone's body onto his... kind of like cutting off someone's skin and wearing it but way less gory." He still shuddered at the thought and Caitlin's stomach turned over. Something must have shown in her face too because Joe's fingers increased their pressure against her hand, just for a moment, a gentle reminder that he was still there. 

"Who is he?" Iris asked, at the same time as Barry demanded, "What does he want?"

"His name," Cisco paused for a second, closing his eyes as if to brace himself, "is Eobard Thawne." Iris and Barry's jaws both dropped, Caitlin felt Joe physically reel from the revelation. It was her turn then to squeeze her fingers tighter against his. "Yes... like Eddie. A distant relation... very distant, because Thawne's a time traveller, from the future." 

"So he came back from the future to kill my mom? Cisco, that makes no sense." 

Cisco shook his head sadly. "He didn't intend to kill your mom, Barry. He wanted to kill you." Joe ran his free hand over his face as Iris stepped close to Barry, slipped her hand into his. "He was the man in yellow... The other speedster there was you. Near as we can figure, you travelled back in time to save your mom... Or stop Thawne, we're not sure why. Or when. Or how." He shrugged, flashed an apologetic grin. "There's a lot we don't know." 

"So why is he still here? Why didn't he just go back to the future?" Joe's brow was furrowed as he tried to figure out all the angles but his face cleared for a second when Cisco grinned brightly. "Bad choice of phrase." 

"Nah, man, it's nice to have someone else make the movie references." Cisco began to pace up and down, his hands moving in a language all of their own. "Anyway, whatever happened, he got stranded. He needs your speed to get home. Now, obviously, in this dimension, you're not going to let him near you, your guard is up. And in our dimension... well, long story very short, he's dead." 

Caitlin had never thought there would be a day she'd rejoice at the news of someone's death. She was wrong. "How?" Joe's voice was urgent and Cisco looked at him for a moment before glancing over to Iris. His gaze didn't stay there for long, returning to Caitlin, but again, only for a moment. Then he crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the ground, but not before Caitlin saw him press his lips together, saw him swallow hard. She knew that look, had seen that look more times than she cared to remember in the immediate aftermath of the particle accelerator explosion. It was the look that Cisco got when he was wrestling with his emotions, fighting them down, pushing them away so that they wouldn't come spilling out. Her stomach turned at the memory and her fingers tightened reflexively on Joe's. 

"Let's just say it's not something that's an option." Cisco's voice was flat when he finally spoke, his face drawn when he finally spoke  and Caitlin's blood ran cold. 

"Then we'll find something else," she heard herself say and Cisco gave her a quick smile. 

"So what does he want?" Joe glanced down at Caitlin as he spoke, brow furrowing ever deeper even as his fingers tightened on hers too. "Why is he going after Caitlin?" 

"Because..." Cisco took a deep breath, laced his fingers together, eyes growing wide and slightly moist. That was another look Caitlin knew;  this was the same look he'd worn  when he told her that he was the one who sealed Ronnie inside the pipeline on the night of the particle accelerator explosion. "Some of the research I was doing at STAR Labs, before the explosion... It was a personal project, something I'd work on after hours, something Doctor Wells encouraged. Believe it or not, it was about travelling between dimensions... which makes my ability either an enormous coincidence or some kind of cosmic joke. I'm still trying to decide." His voice trailed off, his eyes fixed on something far away and Caitlin prayed he wasn't going to disappear again. "I can feel... vibrations in between dimensions... especially between this one and ours. I've been coming here for weeks, checking it out... Whatever the cleft point between our dimensions was, it's definitely after the particle accelerator exploded, after Barry became The Flash. We think Wells probably is using what he can remember of your Cisco's research... which, if it's the same as mine, was almost there, but not quite."

"How almost there?" Barry's voice was low, urgent. 

"Very." Cisco's lips were pressed into a thin line. "Far enough that Doctor Stein and I were able to make it work. But just theoretically... we haven't tested it..." He visibly shuddered and muttered, "We've had enough of crazy wormholes."

Joe ignored the mutter, concentrated on the danger. "And if he could..."

Cisco nodded. "Wells could too." He wrung his hands, pacing the room. "Theoretically, he could jump from your dimension to ours... Or worse."

Iris glanced at Barry. "What would be worse?" 

"I'm guessing the tech can be modified some way." From the way Cisco nodded, Barry was right on the money. "Like to jump through time." 

"And he must figure he need Caitlin's med tech skills to survive it." Cisco stopped pacing when he was standing in front of her and Caitlin felt Joe tense, felt his hand tighten on hers. "Caitlin, I'm sorry... If Wells finding my research put you in danger..."

Something had been niggling at Caitlin as Cisco spoke, now the penny finally dropped. "Wait," she said. "Where was your research? Where did you keep it?" 

Cisco blinked, surprised. "On a portable hard drive attached to my station. I didn't entirely trust the STAR Labs mainframe... or-"

"The people who had access to it." Caitlin had heard Cisco make that observation on more than one occasion and from the face that Cisco made now - utter distaste, the one she'd first seen him make when he'd be given really bad Mexican food during the late night STAR Labs think-in, the one that she'd come to think of as his Hartley Rathaway face, she figured that the two men were enemies in more than one universe. 

"Exactly." Cisco grinned, that smile that made her want to smile back and burst into tears all at once. "Hartley?"

"Who else?" She tried to smile but she knew her voice was brittle, covered it up by pushing on with an admission. "But your hard drive, it's not at STAR Labs any more." Cisco looked alarmed and she hurriedly continued. "I didn't want to leave it there, not after everything..." The memory of finding him flashed through her mind and she tried very hard not to wince. "I took it with me. I knew everything on it was like, triple encrypted-"

"Quadruple," Cisco interrupted. 

"-but I still didn't want..." Her voice trailed off and she shook her head, unable to put into words what had been going through her mind in those few terrible days and weeks after the tsunami hit. It wasn't a place she liked to go back to, though there were times she wondered had she really moved on that much, times when she knew she hadn't. "It's in my lab at Mercury Labs... under lock and key."

"Mercury Labs had extra security put in after Wells vanished," Iris reminded them. "Doctor McGee did a whole press conference on tightening security just in case Wells tried to infiltrate any of their systems, said every lab in the country should do the same."

"They used the same force field you used at Christmas to hold the Reverse Flash," Caitlin added. "Once we figured out that it was Wells, we also figured out that if it failed, it was because he wanted it to. Mercury Labs is the safest place in the city for your work to be." 

Cisco opened his mouth but before he could speak, he seemed to flicker. The others reacted with surprise, but Caitlin had seen it before, knew what was about to happen. Cisco's face creased with annoyance. "We are so working on that tech..." he grumbled. "Look, time is short so I'll check in with you guys tomorrow, OK?" He looked right at Caitlin. "Get some rest. Or, I don't know, vodka or something. You look like you need-"

And then he was gone. 

There was a long moment of silence where the four of them just looked at one another and characteristically, Barry was the first to recover. "This is insane," he said and Caitlin almost felt like he was talking to himself. "Wells is crazy if he thinks this will work." 

"Nah." Joe shook his head. "One thing he never was, was crazy. He had a plan, worked it all out to the letter." His voice was heavy and he let go of Caitlin's hand to rub both of his hands over his face. She missed the warmth, the strength of it, immediately and she sucked in a quiet, deep breath, wrapping both arms around her middle. "What he is now? Is desperate. And desperate men do desperate things." He looked at Caitlin as she spoke and she could read the worry in his face as plain as day. 

"So what do we do?" asked Iris and to that, at least, Caitlin had an answer. 

"I need to go to Mercury Labs," she said, rubbing her temples against the headache she could feel starting. "Get the hard drive, bring it back here..."

Instantly Joe shook his head, lips pressed into a thin line. "You're not getting behind a wheel right now." 

Even though she knew he had a point - she was shaking from head to foot, and her mind was spinning a mile a minute - Caitlin still opened her mouth to protest. Iris beat her to the punch though, chiming in with, "Caitlin, it's Saturday night, the place is going to be deserted." She glanced over at Barry, then at the clock. "Besides, I bet you haven't had anything to eat since this morning... Cisco was right, you look like you're ready to drop." 

Barry nodded his agreement, but not before Iris narrowed her eyes ever so slightly at him. Any other time, Caitlin would have smiled at how thoroughly Iris had him wrapped around her little finger, would have remembered a time when she'd been able to give the same kind of look to Ronnie, get the same kind of reaction. That memory, of course, would have made her smile fade a little with regrets, with the thoughts of what might have been. Tonight, though? She just felt numb. "Iris is right," Barry said. "Why don't I go and get us some take-out?"

"I'll come with you," Iris said promptly and Barry did a hard double take, stuttered his reply. 

"What? But I'll be quicker..."

"It'll give us some couple time," Iris told him, grabbing him by the arm with a look on her face that was anything but sweetly romantic. Her tone matched the expression, pure steel, not to be argued with, and Caitlin had one of those moments where she was reminded of the resemblance between Joe and his daughter. "Chinese OK?" 

Joe and Caitlin barely had time to nod before Iris swept her and Barry out the front door and when Caitlin looked over at Joe, wondering what had just happened, she saw a smile playing around his lips as he stared at the front door. Then he looked back over at her and the smile faded somewhat. "I guess asking how you're feeling is a little redundant?" he guessed and she laughed a little as she dropped down onto the couch. 

"I'm being stalked by my former boss who's a psychotic murderer from the future, and I've just spent most of today talking to the alternate reality version of my dead best friend." Summing up the last forty eight hours made it sound even crazier than actually living it had been. "I don't know how I feel. Numb mostly." 

"Shock." Joe sat down beside her, resting his hands on his knees and flexing his elbows. He kept his gaze steadily on his hands and Caitlin had the sudden thought that he was avoiding looking at her. Remembering how they'd ended up the last time they'd sat side by side in this spot, she supposed she could understand that, except it hadn't been awkward that morning and he certainly hadn't been awkward with her when she'd arrived that evening. Then again, reaching this house in one piece had taken all the strength she'd had and his arms around her had been the only thing holding her up. 

She looked down at her own hands, teeth worrying her bottom lip. "I'm sorry about all this," she said, fingers picking at an imaginary spot of lint on her jeans. "I know I've been asking a lot today-"

She might not have been looking at him but she couldn't miss the way his head whipped around and when she looked up at him, the look on his face was incredulous. "You don't ever have to apologise for this," he told her and he sounded fierce. She'd heard that tone before, mostly in STAR Labs times when Barry was in danger. "Not to me, not to any of us." There wasn't a hint of doubt in his face, in his voice. "You can't seriously think we're letting you face this alone." 

A lump rose in Caitlin's face and she did her best to force it down. "If Wells..." she began and he didn't let her finish. 

"If Wells wants to hurt you? He's gonna have to go through all of us." He reached out a hand and wrapped it around her fingers, squeezing for a moment before he loosened his grip, manipulating their hands so that their fingers were laced together. "Nothing is going to happen to you." 

He made it sound like a promise and the lump in Caitlin's throat grew larger, threatened to choke her. "I'm really scared," she whispered as the first tear fell and he looked stricken. 

"C'mere," he whispered, his free hand wrapping around her neck and going up to cup the back of her head. He pulled her down against his shoulder and she went willingly, closing her eyes and trusting him to catch her. 

She thought she felt him brush a kiss across the top of her head, but she told herself that was just her imagination. 

They stayed there, like that, until they heard voices from the porch outside, Barry and Iris having some sort of spirited debate about who knows what. Whatever it was about, it was distracting Iris enough that she was having trouble getting her key properly in the lock, having trouble opening the door. She was laughing when she entered the house, Barry behind her with arms full of take-out bags and a bemused look on his face. Caitlin had already pulled herself into a standing position by then and she crossed the room to take some of them from him, allowing Joe a chance to sit up properly first, flex his knee and then stand. 

The best thing, Caitlin thought, about all the time they'd spent together over the past twelve months was that everyone knew everyone's favourite take-out orders, not to mention their favourite take-out spots. In short order, they were gathered around the table, Iris and Barry in their usual seats at one side, Joe at head of the table, Caitlin at his other side. Cartons were opened and left in the middle of the table, everyone willing to take a sample from whatever box they liked because with Barry to cater for, they'd ordered enough for at least a dozen people. The two men had beers in front of them and Iris had emerged from the kitchen with a bottle of red wine in one hand and two glasses in the other. "You can help me drink this," she said to Caitlin, a wry smile on her face. "After today, I think we've earned it."

Caitlin didn't disagree, didn't fight Iris on the wine either, allowing her to pour her a rather more substantial glass than she would have usually accepted. Promising herself she'd sip it slowly, she turned her attention to the food on her plate, knowing that the other three were watching her closely - in times of stress, her appetite had a tendency to disappear and there had been times, a year ago, where one or other of them had almost had to force her to eat something, anything. Tonight though, despite the events of the last couple of days, she was starving and she dug into the plate with gusto, even fighting Barry for the last dumpling. Fast he might have been, but she was more determined and Joe's laughter chased any embarrassment she might have felt away. 

The conversation flowed easily as they ate, no mention of Cisco or Wells or what might happen in the morning. Instead, Iris and Barry filled them in about how their vacation had gone, the things they'd seen, the places they'd visited and Caitlin hid a smile in her wine glass when Iris "accidentally" threatened to give away something that Joe's face, not to mention his grip on his bottle of beer, clearly identified as too much information. After one too many of those, Joe stood up, gathering plates and giving Iris a dirty look. "Just for that, your boyfriend is on clean-up duty with me... the old fashioned way."

The last was said to Barry, with an equally dirty look and Barry pressed his hand against his chest, the very picture of wounded innocence. "Why me? What did I do?"

"I really do not want to know the answer to that question." Joe's tone of voice had Caitlin biting her lip against a fresh round of giggles and she eyed up her glass suspiciously, noting that it seemed a little fuller than it had moments earlier. It wasn't the first time she'd thought that and her eyes flicked over to Iris who was just topping up her own glass and who gave her a Gallic shrug, which told Caitlin all she needed to know. "C'mon." Joe jerked his head between Iris and Caitlin. "Let's leave the ladies to catch up."

Barry frowned. "You really think that's a good idea?" He sounded nervous, his expression growing more so when he saw Iris's smirk. 

"You really think I'm giving you a choice?" 

"C'mon, Caitlin." Iris pushed her chair back and rose to her feet. "Let's go into the living room and abuse our remote control privileges..." She grabbed her glass and the by now almost empty wine bottle, throwing back over her shoulder, "Have fun, sweetheart."  Barry's response to _that_ didn't bear repeating and Iris looked highly amused as she dropped down on the couch, having deposited the bottle and glass on the coffee table. "Oh, to be a fly on that wall." She curled her legs up underneath her, grabbed the remote and clicked on the television. "I wasn't kidding about this," she said and Caitlin shook her head. 

"What is it about you Wests and the remote control?" she wondered. Off Iris's narrow-eyed frown, she continued, "Joe said something similar yesterday, that's all... about how it was his last night to have the TV all to himself." She glanced down into her glass. "I almost felt guilty ruining that for him." 

Iris shook her head, chuckling softly. "Caitlin, I think you mean more to Dad than the remote control." She took a sip of her wine. "If something had happened to you..." She shuddered, smiling tightly. "I'm really glad you're OK. I meant it earlier on... it's nice to have another woman around here."

"Thanks." Caitlin's smile was genuine and she leaned back against the couch, stretching her legs out in front of her. "I like being here," she admitted quietly. "The last year... if it hadn't been for you guys..."

"Hey." Iris leaned over, laid her hand on Caitlin's wrist and squeezed gently. "We're friends, Caitlin... and this is the kind of things friends suit up for." 

"You really do sound like your dad." It was more or less the same thing that Joe had said to her before dinner and it meant just as much coming from Iris. Maybe, if she was honest, a little bit more because Barry had always been loyal to his friends and Joe had been in and out of STAR Labs since Barry became The Flash. She hadn't really known Iris until twelve months ago and that was when Iris had been angry at a lot of them for keeping secrets from her. Which Caitlin had understood; besides, she hadn't been in any position to form friendships herself then either. It had taken Joe and Barry and their pure pigheaded stubbornness to drag her out of herself, drag her into this house, this room, into their family. She knew she could never thank them enough for that. 

Iris frowned theatrically, looked up and to her left. She didn't hide the grin on her face though. "Is that a good thing?" she teased.

"Definitely." Caitlin laughed, curled her legs underneath her, feeling some of the tension seeping out of her bones. For just a moment, she could pretend that the last couple of days were a bad dream, that she and Iris were simply sitting on the couch while the guys did the dishes, just like they had on so many other nights. "Joe and Barry... they're good guys."

Tilting her head, Iris regarded her thoughtfully. "You and my dad... you're close." Ostensibly a statement, Caitlin heard the question loud and clear. She just felt like there was another layer to it, something she wasn't privy to. Iris's eyes were serious suddenly, her head tilted as she waited for Caitlin to answer, and Caitlin took a sip of her wine before she did. 

"I guess that's what happens after all those evenings you and Barry have left us alone here when you disappear upstairs," she said lightly and Iris took the teasing in the spirit in which it was intended, looking away and shaking her head. Caitlin thought she saw her cheeks darkening slightly, but in the lamplight it was hard to be sure. "Doing things that your father would definitely rather not think about." That was good for a proper laugh from Iris. "Tell me the truth, you guys try to push his buttons, don't you?"

"Not entirely." Iris's grin was ear to ear. "I mean, we go upstairs because we want to go upstairs." Caitlin didn't need to her to draw a map. "My dad's expression is... an  ... amusing side effect."

The two of them were still laughing when Joe and Barry came in, their giggles only doubling when they saw the expression on Barry's face. "I told you we shouldn't leave them alone together," he said to Joe and Iris threw her head back and laughed some more, something that made Barry blanch. "What?"

Joe shook his head, lips pursed. "I don't think they're gonna share with the class, Bar," he said, clapping Barry on the shoulder. 

"We are allowed to girl talk," Caitlin reminded him and it was only when she turned her head to speak and the room began to wobble that she realised she was a little tipsy. Damn Iris and her magically refilling glass. 

"Don't worry, honey." Iris batted her eyelashes, allowing Caitlin to figure out that she wasn't the only one who was feeling the effects of the wine. "I'll tell you later... if you're good." There was only one conclusion that could be drawn from her words and her tone, not to mention the way that she stood up and approached Barry, her smile nothing short of lascivious. Barry looked taken aback but didn't back away; Joe looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. "Night, guys." Taking Barry by the hand, she pulled him up the stairs and Barry waved as she dragged him away, a bemused grin on his face. 

Caitlin watched them go and when she turned back to Joe, he had a pained expression on his face. "Please, tell me I didn't see that." He was practically begging as he sank down beside her and Caitlin took pity on him. 

"You know she only does that to freak you out."

He gave her the side eye, lips pressed together in a thin line. "I know," he said flatly. "It works." When Caitlin dissolved into peals of giggles, he made a disgusted noise at the back of his throat. "Oh sure, laugh it up." That only made her laugh harder and she covered her mouth with her hand in a vague attempt to keep the giggles at bay. By the time she managed to get herself under control, Joe was smiling, eyes locked on her face. "It's good to see you laugh," he said quietly. 

Nodding, Caitlin leaned her head against the back of the couch. "I needed this," she heard herself say, and she didn't just mean the laughter. The whole evening - the food, the company and yes, the wine - had been a balm to her soul after a week that had been entirely too stressful with the anniversary approaching, even before the previous twenty four hours had brought another level of hell. 

Joe nodded, the smile still on his lips but his eyes very serious. Slowly, carefully, he reached out, rested one hand on her knee. He still didn't take his eyes off her and it was only after a long moment where she didn't move, didn't react badly to his touch, that he spoke again. "You know you're always welcome here."

Caitlin grinned. "So you're not outnumbered by the lovebirds?"

She was teasing but Joe didn't laugh. "Yeah, that's what it is." His voice was dry, almost sarcastic, and Caitlin was very aware of his hand curled comfortably around her knee,  the rhythmic sweep of his thumb across her skin. It was soothing, hypnotic almost and she felt her eyes growing heavier. "Oh no." Joe's voice was teasing but his smile was soft. "No more falling asleep on the couch, you have a perfectly good bed upstairs."

She forced her eyes open. "It's very comfortable here."

Joe made a noise deep at the back of his throat. "It's more comfortable upstairs," he told her. "No matter what you might have thought last night." 

Sighing, Caitlin lifted her head from the back of the couch. "I guess I can't exactly use you as my pillow again." She glanced up at the stairs, thinking of Iris and Barry, a giggle escaping her as she pictured what Barry's face would look like if he'd seen the way they'd woken up that morning. "After what Iris laid on him just now, I'm not sure Barry's heart could take it." 

"Nah, guess not." Joe grinned too, but his tone was wistful. "You should head up. Get some rest." She wanted to shake her head, wanted to stay where she was but when she opened her mouth to speak, a huge yawn took over instead. Joe chuckled and she blushed, which only made him chuckle more. "Good night, Caitlin," he said and she smiled, leaned over and brushed her lips over his cheek. 

"Good night."

As it turns out, the night was anything but. 

In marked contrast to the previous night, Caitlin tossed and turned, first unable to fall asleep and when she finally did, her dreams were filled with images of Cisco's dead body, of the man she knew as Harrison Wells actually killing him before turning his steely gaze on her. She dreamed of running through STAR Labs, heart pounding, breath coming in shallow gasps, tears streaming down her cheeks as she tried to escape him, knowing that it was pointless, that he was too fast...

Just as he stood in front of her, a terrible smile on her face, she woke up. 

As in her dream, her breath was coming in shallow gasps, her heart pounding as she sat bolt upright in bed. It took her a moment to remember where she was and when she did, she was relieved to see the first faint glimmers of sunlight shining through the curtains. She knew there would be no more sleep for her, not then, and she pushed the covers aside, padding downstairs quietly, intending to see if there was a book she could curl up and read, a film on the television she could watch. 

Walking into the living room and seeing Joe standing there with a cup of coffee in his hand was something of a surprise. 

He evidently felt the same way about seeing her, his eyes widening with his cup halfway to his lips. "You're up early," he observed and when his eyes narrowed, she knew her bad dreams were written all over her face. She just hoped he wouldn't say anything about her bad poker face; without caffeine in her system, her nerves still jangling from her nightmares, she wouldn't be responsible for what she might say. "Bad dreams?" 

She nodded, her own eyes narrowing as she looked at him, taking in the drawn face, the circles under this eyes that managed to be darker than they had been last night. She bit her lip as she realised she hadn't been the only one unable to sleep properly. "Something we have in common?" 

He nodded as he sipped his coffee. "You were right," he told her and she frowned, not understanding. "We should've sacked out on the couch."

She chuckled at that. "I won't say I told you so."

"But you did." He said it with a wry smile as he tilted his head in the direction of the kitchen. "There's a pot of coffee in the machine, morning paper's just come... I'm calling dibs on the sports section and just so you know, Barry gets real cranky if someone gets to the comics before him..."

It was the best invitation Caitlin had had in weeks and she smiled as she headed into the kitchen, poured herself a cup of coffee made just the way she liked it. She was still smiling when she returned to the  living room where she sat down at one end of the couch, Joe on the other, the paper in between them. They sat in silence, each reading their own section of the paper, sipping their coffee and by the time her first cup was empty, Caitlin was feeling much more relaxed. 

When she stood up, Joe put down his paper. "I'm guessing you're not going for a refill."

"No." Caitlin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm going to Mercury Labs." At that, Joe sat up straight and she held up a hand. "I know you don't want me to... but I can't sit here knowing Cisco's research might be there, knowing it could be what Wells is looking for and not-"

"Caitlin." His voice was quiet. "If you're going, I'm going with you." It wasn't phrased as a question, nor even as an option, just a statement of fact and Caitlin let out a breath she hadn't even known she was holding, just like she hadn't known until just that minute that she'd wanted him to say that. 

They got dressed quickly and headed out, leaving Barry and Iris asleep upstairs. The trip in Joe's car passed mostly in silence and when they got to Mercury Labs and Caitlin let them inside, it was deserted. "My lab's this way," Caitlin told Joe, leading the way through the labyrinthine hallways and Joe looked left and right as they walked, looking to Caitlin as if he expected danger to leap out from every corner. 

As it turned out, he may have been thinking of something else. "Do all science labs look the same?" he wondered. "I feel like I'm back in STAR Labs." 

Caitlin looked around her, trying to see it from his eyes. "I never noticed," she said truthfully but once he'd said it, she could see what he meant. "Doctor Wells and Tina worked together once... Maybe they had similar ideas." 

Joe made a small noise at the back of his throat that she recognised as agreement and they continued on to Caitlin's lab. Once there, she moved to the cabinet at the back of the room where she kept her research. Pressing in the eight digit combination first, she put her thumb on the keypad, waiting for it to scan. There was a flash of green and a beep and the door cracked open. Kneeling down, Caitlin reached to the back of the lowest shelf, pulling out a small steel safe and placing it on the table. 

"This is everything I took from STAR Labs," she said, pressing in a different combination as her lips twisted along with her stomach. "Not much for a life's work." 

"Hey." Joe's hand landed on her shoulder, squeezed firmly. "You can't think like that." 

Caitlin's voice was sad as she opened the safe. "I wasn't talking about me." She pulled the hard drive from the bottom of the safe, ran her hands over its smooth surface. "This is the portable hard drive Cisco put everything on because he didn't trust Hartley not to steal his ideas. After the accelerator went up, it was just habit,  I guess... everything he did is here.  His life's work." She swallowed hard. "I only have it because I didn't want to leave it in STAR Labs when I thought the place was just going to fall into ruin..." Because one the meta humans in the pipeline had been transported to Lian Yu, courtesy of Felicity Smoak's billionaire  boyfriend,  there had been no reason for her to go back there and she certainly had never wanted to. "It was all I had left of him." 

Joe's fingers tightened on her shoulder and she looked down, fighting the tears that were threatening to fall. For a moment she had the urge to turn to him, slip her arms around his waist and bury her head in his chest. It was so powerful an urge that it almost took her breath away and she was actually grateful when a new voice, with its familiar, cultured British tones, made them jump. 

"Caitlin, what are you doing here at this hour?" 

Caitlin found herself looking into the face of her boss, Tina McGee and she opened her mouth to reply before closing it again, not having the faintest clue how to begin. Tina must have seen that because she frowned, the tiniest of lines appearing between her eyes as she took a step inside the lab. "Caitlin, you look awful... whatever has happened?" Her gaze fell on Joe. "I remember you... Detective West, isn't it?"

Joe dropped his hand from Caitlin's shoulder and she was surprised at the pang that shot through her. "Captain, now," Joe replied, holding out his hands. "It's nice to see you again, Doctor."

"Tina, please." Tina shook her head as she reached for his hand. "We're quite informal around here." She glanced from him back to Caitlin. "Should I ask why you're here with the police before nine am. on a Sunday morning?" 

Caitlin bit her lip, raised one eyebrow in Joe's direction. On one hand, telling Tina the truth seemed insane, not to mention career suicide. On the other, if they were going to capture Wells, then they could easily need Mercury Labs tech to do it and shed really rather not have to lie to Tina about it. Aside from the fact she was really bad at it, she liked Tina and she was so sick of lying about everything. Joe widened his eyes, let his shoulders rise and fall in a shrug and she knew that was his way of telling her to do what she thought was best, that he would follow her lead. 

So she took a deep breath. "This may sound unbelievable," she began, and Tina tilted her head. 

"As unbelievable as the circumstances that brought you to work here in the first place? I doubt it."

Caitlin pressed her lips together, took another deep breath and told her everything. All about the meta humans and the particle accelerator exploding, about Doctor Wells and who he really was, about Cisco and alternative dimensions. By the time she was finished, she was almost beginning to wonder if she was crazy after all and she wrung her hands as she waited for Tina to speak. 

She expected questions, expected to be told that all this was impossible. Instead, Tina looked at the hard drive on the table. "And you think there's something on that hard drive that could help you?"

Caitlin shrugged. "We don't know. We can't be sure that our Cisco did the same research as the other Cisco. Or that we'd be able to make it work if he did. But if we want to catch Dr Wells, it's the best shot we have."

Tina stared at Caitlin for a long moment before glancing at Joe. Then she nodded firmly, like she'd made up her mind. "How can I help?"

Caitlin blinked, her head snapping around to Joe, seeking confirmation he'd heard the same thing she had. Joe looked just as surprised as she felt. "So you believe us? Just like that?"

A wistful look crossed Tina's face. "Sixteen years ago, Harrison Wells, Tess Morgan and I were the best of friends. We worked together... we were going to change the world, make it better. When Tess died..." She swallowed hard, looked down and tapped the table. "I said afterwards that it changed Harrison... that he was like a different person." A bitter laugh escaped her and she tilted her head back towards the ceiling. "I put it down to losing the love of his life... however, it would appear I was closer to the truth than I knew."

"Doctor McGee," Joe said carefully, "you need to know, this could be very dangerous..."

Tina didn't let him finish, eyes boring into his, flashing fire. Not for the first time, Caitlin found herself remembering that, as a female scientist, Tina hadn't got to her current position by being placid and docile. "If what you're saying is true, Captain,  then the man who we knew as Harrison Wells killed two of my closest friends." Tina's eyes met Caitlin's and Caitlin saw understanding there, hiding behind the anger. "Believe me, whatever you need to catch this bastard?  You have the full resources of Mercury Labs at your disposal."

*

Knowing that Tina believed them, that she was willing to help them, gave Caitlin's spirits a considerable boost. On the way back to the West house, she and Joe made a tentative plan, contingent on getting the hard drive working and Barry being able to make sense of any research Cisco might have been doing. "Can the other Cisco help us?" Joe asked as he parked the car. 

"I would think so," Caitlin said. "If he shows up... I mean, I don't know how that works, he's just popped up the last couple of times I saw him..."

"So not like ordering a pizza." Joe's analogy made her smile which lasted until Joe opened the door and they were faced with a worried and almost angry looking Iris. 

"Where have you two been?" She didn't even wait for them to get inside the house. "I went into Caitlin's room to check if she wanted breakfast and she was gone, and your door was wide open... What, you couldn't have left a note?"

Caitlin was taken aback by Iris's tirade, Joe apparently less so. "I'm sorry," he said straight away, and Caitlin wasn't sure if he meant it or if he was just trying to mollify Iris. From the glare she shot him, Iris felt much the same. "We were both up early... decided to swing by Mercury Labs, find Cisco's research." 

Iris looked instantly interested and Barry appeared at her shoulder, at normal speed. "Did you find it?"

Caitlin held up the portable hard drive. "If there's anything, it'll be here." She raised her eyebrows in Barry's direction. "Assuming I can crack the encryption. And I'll need someone to help me make sense of it... biology is one thing but me and this type of physics..."

Barry nodded, taking the drive from her hands. "Let's see what I can do."

"I'll get the laptop." Iris was walking and talking all at once and behind her back, Joe's shoulders slumped with unmistakeable relief. "Don't think you're off the hook," Iris called back over her shoulder and Caitlin looked down and bit her lip, turning her head for good measure so that he couldn't see her smiling. 

Or so she thought, because when Joe walked over to stand beside her, he murmured so quietly that only she could hear, "Don't think I don't see you smiling." She blinked innocently up at him, eyes wide and it got harder to hide her smile when he looked distinctly unimpressed. 

"Am I interrupting?" They both jumped at Cisco's voice, Caitlin spinning around to see him standing there grinning at the two of them. "Sorry... I just thought I'd see how things are going." 

"Damn." Joe shook his head slowly. "Maybe it is like ordering a pizza."

Cisco squinted as he tilted his head and Caitlin took advantage of his momentary confusion to gesture in Barry's general direction. "We went to Mercury Labs," she told Cisco. "This is our Cisco's portable hard drive... and Tina told us that whatever we need that Mercury Labs can provide, it's ours." 

Cisco's face brightened with a grin when he saw what was in Barry's hands. "Man, it's the exact same one I have." He crossed towards Barry, waving at Iris as she came back into the room. "Hey, Iris."

Iris blinked but that was the only confusion she showed. "Hey, Cisco," she said as she placed the computer she'd already powered up on the dining room table. "I'd offer you coffee but the whole incorporeal being thing..."

"Kinda puts a damper on the whole notion of being a polite guest." Cisco nodded his understanding before turning his attention to Barry. "If it really is the same as mine, it's just plug and play... " He watched as Barry plugged in the hard drive, leaning over his shoulder to stare at the directory of files. "Man... it's even set up the same as mine..."

"Is that good?" Joe was still beside Caitlin, close enough to touch and her fingers itched to take his hand. 

Cisco glanced over his shoulder and flashed him a smile, glancing at Caitlin too. His eyes fell on her fingers and she had the crazy idea that he knew exactly what she was thinking. "Let's hope," was all he said before turning his eyes back to the laptop screen, pointing out different directories and folders to Barry. "That's it," he said, pointing excitedly at a particular file, telling him a string of letters and numbers to allow him to open it. Seconds later,  the two of them were reading side by side, pointing out different sentences and ideas. Within a couple of minutes, they were talking over one another, Barry answering questions and Cisco answering them as quickly as he could raise them, the two of them bouncing off each other, eyes alight and hands moving at light speed. 

Watching them, a lump rose in Caitlin's throat and she turned away, walking past them into the kitchen. Letting the door close behind her, she stood at the kitchen sink, resting her hands on the edge of the counter, staring out the window into the back garden. She concentrated on breathing in and out slowly, counting to five between each breath, mentally reciting the names of the bones of the human body to try to centre herself. It didn't work very well and she was still trying when the door slowly opened and footsteps walked through, stopping just beside her. Reflected in the glass, she could see Iris staring at her with concern. 

"I'm sorry-" Caitlin began and Iris waved a hand in dismissal. 

"I guess when you said yesterday that I should have seen the two of them together, you weren't expecting that I'd get a demonstration." There was a wry smile on her lips as she summed up Caitlin's thoughts perfectly. 

"I knew I missed it," she managed to say. "I even thought I knew how much." She shook her head, swatting at sudden tears. "You see something every day, you know? And it's so familiar to you, it's like you don't even notice it."

A smile played around Iris's lips as she looked back over her shoulder. "I know that feeling." 

"And then, suddenly, it's gone." Caitlin shuddered as the memory of finding Cisco's body flashed through her mind again. "And you're all alone." 

The last bit slipped out unbidden and Caitlin bit her lip, looking down, knowing she'd said too much. Iris didn't even hesitate, didn't blink, just turned to look at her. "It might have felt that way, Caitlin," she said. "Maybe it still does sometimes, I don't know... but you're not alone, OK? And as long as we're around, you're never going to be."

Caitlin found a smile threatening to break through her tears. "OK."

Iris grinned as she pulled her into a hug. "Let me know when you're ready to go out there," she said, eyes sparkling. "I can't wait to see how much they've confused my dad."

That did help a smile to break through, along with a giggle and Caitlin reached up, wiped her eyes as she nodded. "Let's go," she said with a deep breath, letting Iris lead the way. Cisco and Barry were in the same position she's left them, heads so close together they were almost touching and Joe was watching them, his arms crossed over his chest and his brows knit in a frown that only lifted a little when his eyes met Caitlin's. She tried to flash him a quick smile, but she wasn't sure how successful it was, not when he tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at her. It was a question without words and she nodded quickly as she and Iris came over to stand beside him. "How's it going?" she murmured. 

Joe chuckled. "Hell if I know," he told her. "They lost me right around the time they plugged the damn thing in." He grinned, shook his head. "Some things never change."

Which is what Caitlin had been thinking, but the observation, coming from Joe, made her smile rather than cry. "So you really think they can do this?" Iris asked them. 

"They always have before," Joe replied and as he spoke, Cisco let out a whoop. "That sounds promising." 

"That's because it is." Barry turned to them with a grin. "We can do this... We can make it work." 

"So let me get this straight..." Iris held up a hand. "You can do exactly what Wells... Thawne... whoever he is... wants to do. How does that help us catch him exactly?" 

Cisco and Barry glanced at one another. "We need to go back to the belly of the beast," Cisco said and when he visibly shuddered, there was only one place he could mean. 

"STAR Labs." Caitlin's mouth went dry. She'd been back to STAR Labs only a handful of times since that day a year ago and on each occasion she'd been in and out as quickly as she'd been able to manage. The idea of going back there now when it had been deserted for so long, especially knowing that they were bound to encounter Wells there... Sweat broke out along her forehead and the back of her neck and she swallowed hard against the wave of nausea threatening to choke her. "Excuse me." 

She was beyond caring what anyone thought of her, just knew she had to get out, had to get some air. She made it as far as the front porch, didn't chance the steps down to the garden proper, just stood there with her hands knuckle white on the railing, taking deep breaths and trying not to let the nausea overtake her. She didn't know how long she was standing there before she heard the door open behind her. She recognised the footfall as Joe's, didn't even have to turn around for that and when he stood beside her, she took a deep breath before looking up at him. Whatever he saw on her face made his frown deepen, made him shake his head and mutter, "C'mere." With that, he pulled her into a hug, wrapping both arms around her shoulders and holding her tightly, and she buried her head in his chest, her hands making fists in his shirt. Opening her mouth to speak, only a whoop of air came out and he shushed her, rocking her slightly in his arms as he did so. "It's OK," he said. "It's OK."

She knew that things were actually as far from OK as they were possible to be, but she closed her eyes anyway, let him hold her until she stopped shaking, until she was able to speak. What eventually came out, still in the circle of his arms, was, "It's just the idea of seeing him again... after what he did..."

"I know. I understand." He moved back a little bit, just enough so that he could see her face, his arms moving down slightly on her back. "But we will be there with you every step of the way. You'll never be on your own."

Caitlin nodded, because she knew that but it didn't make it any easier. "I don't know if I can do this," she whispered. The last thing she saw clearly before his face blurred under the tears in her eyes was Joe's face as a picture of dismay. 

"Yes you can," he told her, and his hands moved to her face then, cupping her cheeks. "Caitlin Snow, you are one of the strongest women I know. After everything you've been through..." He shook his head and his thumbs swept across her cheeks, wiping away her tears as they fell. "You  can do this," he told her, bowing his head so that his forehead touched hers. " _We_ can do this."

Her heart was still hammering wildly in her chest as she stared into his eyes but the  feeling was different now.  Still accompanied by a swoop of her stomach, it was more akin to excitement than fear and she was suddenly able to identify it for what it was : a rush of desire, sudden and intensely powerful. "Joe," she whispered as her hands closed around his wrists and she could feel his pulse there, speeding just like hers. 

"Caitlin..." He didn't move his forehead from hers, just closed his eyes as he whispered her name. Swallowing hard, he pressed his lips together, opened his eyes. "We should go back inside." Somehow, from the look on his face, in his eyes, she got the feeling that that wasn't what he really wanted to say, and she knew, without having to think about it - without wanting to think about it too much - that she didn't want that either. 

Still though, she nodded and his hands slid from her cheeks to her shoulders, lingering there. Slowly, carefully, Caitlin leaned in, ducked her head and rested her cheek against his chest. "Just a minute," she whispered and she felt as well as heard him sigh when his arms went around her. 

"You can have as long as you want." 

*

Walking into STAR Labs after all that time was, frankly, as nerve-wracking as Caitlin had thought it was going to be. They'd had to detour via Mercury Labs to pick up some of the equipment they needed and the contrast between there - all spick and span, surfaces gleaming - and STAR Labs, cobwebs and dust gathering in the gloom, only served to accentuate the turmoil in her stomach. "Power's still on," Barry said, pointing at the few lights that were still working. 

"Yeah," Cisco said, popping up behind them, making Caitlin turn with a little shriek. "We have generators." He glanced at Caitlin then, frowned at her as he saw her staring at him with her hand still over her chest. "Sorry... guess I should be more careful." 

Caitlin glared at him but he was so sincere that she couldn't stay angry at him. That had always been one of the hallmarks of their relationship. "No," she said, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "I'm just a little jumpy, that's all." 

Cisco shook his head as he looked around. "Copy that," he murmured. "This is... different." 

"So..." Iris said, glancing around her too. "Where do we go?" It was a question that made sense, Caitlin supposed, because she'd been here so much less than any of the rest of them, and hardly there at all once Barry had awoken from his coma. 

"The cortex." Cisco, Barry and Caitlin all spoke at once and they left it to Caitlin to lead the way, Joe on one side, Cisco on the other. The walk was longer than she ever remembered it being and once they got there, with no computers left there, only some of the lights working, it was a scene right out of Caitlin's nightmares. 

And soon, there was another one.  

"Looks like the gang's all here." 

As if from nowhere, Harrison Wells stood in the middle of the room, where he hadn't been a second ago and Caitlin's heart began pounding triple time as she stared at the fact of her boss, her mentor, the man who had comforted her, supported her through so many difficult times after the particle accelerator exploded. The face of the man, she now knew, who was responsible for all her pain, who had killed Cisco in cold blood. He stood in front of her now, eyes cold and emotionless, clearly visible without his glasses and she felt cold all over. Beside her, she could see Joe's hand going to his hip, finding the butt of his gun and Wells saw it too, narrowed his eyes with a twisted smile. 

"I don't think so," he said and in the blink of an eye, he was gone. 

Caitlin barely had enough time to realise that he had moved before she realised where he had moved to - behind her, his arm around her neck. 

"Please don't try anything," Wells said, his voice as cold as his eyes. "I would hate to have to hurt Caitlin. I am, after all, still rather fond of her." He raised his free hand and as Caitlin twisted her head to look at it, she could feel her eyes widen with terror - the hand was vibrating so quickly that it was just a blur as it came closer and closer to her head. 

Joe raised his hands in the air without saying a word, eyes locked on Caitlin. "We have what you want," he said and Caitlin saw Wells blink in surprise. 

"My research." Cisco's voice was firm. "Or rather, this universe's Cisco's research." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I notice you're not surprised to see me... I take it that means your little spy system still works in this universe." If he noticed anyone's surprised reaction to that, he didn't let on, just kept right on staring at Wells. Caitlin hadn't seen him look that way at anyone since Hartley Rathaway. 

Wells simply lifted one eyebrow. "Is this where you attempt to make me believe that you're simply going to let me have the technology? That you're going to let me leave this place?"

"We are." Caitlin didn't even know that was what they were going to do - it's not like they had much of a plan, aside from trying to capture Wells, which obviously wasn't going to work - until she said the words but once they were out, she knew that it was the truth. 

"Caitlin-" Barry took a step towards them and Wells raised a finger of the hand that was around her neck, moving it from side to side. His meaning was clear and Barry echoed Joe's posture, spreading his hands wide. 

"She'll be dead before you get to me, _Flash_ ," Wells reminded him and Caitlin took advantage of the opening. 

"No matter what happens here, if you're still here... in this time... I'll always be in danger, won't I? You'll keep trying to get back to your own time and you won't care who you hurt..." Tears burned in her eyes as she remembered Ronnie's words to her before the accelerator exploded, the pain she'd felt when she'd found, then lost him again, the memory of finding Cisco's body, of standing at his funeral watching the coffin being lowered into the ground. "Barry, I'm sorry... I know you want him to pay for what he did to your mom, to your dad... but I want this to be over." She pressed her lips together. "I need this to be over. Please." Barry stared at her for a long moment before looking down and Iris stepped closer to him, slipped her hand into his. He looked down at her, held her gaze before nodding. 

"If that's what you want."

"If we do this," Joe stepped forward, eyes locked with Wells, "then you let Caitlin go. Right now. Non-negotiable." 

"Or I could kill you all and just take what I want." 

"You won't." Surprisingly, Cisco's voice was strong. "My Wells kept on telling us that he wasn't a murderer, that he just wanted to get home... even tried to tell me that he only killed me ... this universe's me, obviously ... because he had to. You'll get what you want, you have my word. Just let Caitlin go."

There was a long, horrible silence where Wells didn't drop his hand, just kept it vibrating and, if anything, brought it closer to her head. Terror surged in her throat and she closed her eyes, sure that Cisco's words hadn't worked, that she was going to die. 

And then the pressure on her throat was gone and her knees were buckling underneath her. She didn't know if she fell because Wells had been holding her up or some combination of fear and relief or a mixture of the two but she hit the ground hard, her two hands flying out to break her fall but she still felt the shock of the impact. Coughing, one hand rose to her throat as Joe and Iris rushed to her side, each sliding one arm around her as they kneeled down beside her to check if she was all right. Joe's hand touched her cheek and she nodded at his unspoken question. 

"Shall we begin?"

Wells still had that cold smirk in his voice and Joe lifted one eyebrow. "You're sure?" His voice was so low that only Caitlin and Iris would have been able to hear him and Caitlin nodded as he helped her stand. 

"I want him gone," she said quietly and once again, the words came out without her having to think about them. "I want to move on with my life." 

Joe's face was very serious and his hand slid down her arm, his fingers entwining with hers. Iris blinked when she noticed it, her eyes growing wide but she didn't say anything, just smiled and moved away. Caitlin's eyes followed her, but only for a second, because Joe's fingers tightened on hers and when she shook, this time the adrenaline was both from fear and from something else entirely. 

It fell to Barry and Cisco to do the lion's share of the work, though it went more quickly than Caitlin had thought that it would. It turned out Wells had already made great strides on his own, hence the vibrations that Cisco had been picking up, and it was only a matter of a tweak here and there. At least that's how Cisco explained it - considering he was shooting Joe and Iris sympathetic looks when he spoke, it could have been an awful lot more complicated than that. Finally though, they stepped back with a nod, and Wells vanished and reappeared in a second, wearing his Reverse Flash suit and making Barry's lips curl with disgust. 

Standing beside the little vessel that he'd already constructed, Wells looked at Barry. "I've been controlling your life for so long, Barry... How will you ever get by without me?"

Beside Caitlin, Cisco visibly shuddered. Beside Barry, Iris drew herself up to her full height and stared at Wells with contempt, sliding her hand once more into Barry's. "I think he'll manage." Her words fairly dripped with disgust and Barry shot her a grateful look. Joe hastily stifled a chuckle and Caitlin shot him a quick grin out of the corner of her eye. 

"Shall we?" Wells asked, apparently deciding to ignore Iris and Barry nodded, stepped towards the device he and Cisco had been working on. 

As he pressed some buttons, Caitlin found herself holding her breath, afraid to hope, sure that at the last minute something would happen, Wells would double cross them or the machine wouldn't work, something that would doom them all. Her mouth was dry, her heart pounding and she stepped closer to Joe, once again taking his hand in hers. Then, the air in front of them seemed to shimmer, to twist and with a massive roar, a wormhole opened up. Wells smiled, a genuine smile and then he was gone, the ship disappearing from sight in mere seconds. 

Another press of a few buttons and the wormhole vanished. 

"That's it." Caitlin's voice sounded hollow, even to her own ears. "It's over." 

"Yeah." Barry was staring at her, she realised, eyes hollow and she knew what this had cost him. Now there would be no chance of proving his dad's innocence, of getting him released from prison. Which, they all knew had always been a long shot - a time traveller from the future, really? - but to have all hope vanish irretrievably was something else again. 

"Barry," she began, stretching out a hand, "I'm sorry-"

He didn't let her finish, simply crossed the room and pulled her into a hug. "Wells has taken enough from me," he told her simply when he let her go. "I wanted to free my dad... but I don't want to lose anyone else." 

She nodded, looked around the room and when her eyes fell on Cisco, she saw a familiar flicker in his face. "Cisco-" 

But it was too late. 

He was gone. 

Tears burned at the back of her throat and she covered her mouth with her hand in a failed attempt to keep back a sob. Barry's face fell and he put his arm around her shoulders, pulled her close. "Come on," he said. "Let's get out of here."

They didn't look back. 

*

The journey back to the West house passed in silence, Joe keeping a driver's eye on the traffic, Caitlin staring out the window lost in thought but well aware of Joe's eyes flitting in her direction any time he deemed it safe to do so. Barry and Iris sat in the back seat, hand in hand and the second they arrived at the West house, Iris was pulling Barry down the driveway. "Come on," she said. "Let's take a walk." She said it in that way she had that meant she wasn't going to take no for an answer and Barry didn't even try to argue with her. Whether that was because he knew better or because, like Caitlin, he was just too exhausted mentally to do anything else, Caitlin wasn't sure. 

All she knew is that when Joe opened the front door, she went straight to the couch, dropped down on it and put her head in her hands. She didn't look up, not even when she felt the seat cushions dip beside her, heard Joe's sigh. "You want to talk?" His voice was low, concerned and Caitlin moved her hands to push back her hair before propping her chin up on her clenched fists. 

"I don't know how I feel." She said it with a little laugh, though it certainly wasn't funny. "I should feel happy, right? Relieved?" 

Joe grimaced, shrugged one shoulder. "A lot of times, we don't feel like we're supposed to feel. The way we think we should." 

Which she knew to be true, but something about the way he said it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, sent goose bumps rippling along her arms. She crossed her arms, ran her hands up and down them to warm them up. "I feel like it's a year ago... Wells gone, Cisco..." A lump rose in her throat, choking off further words and she closed her eyes. Not before she saw concern in Joe's eyes, saw his hand reach out towards her...

Just as she heard his cell phone ring. 

Opening her eyes, she saw his jaw set firm in annoyance but he reached for the phone and she remembered Iris's words of yesterday - and how in the world was it only yesterday - that a police captain was always on call. "I have to-" he began and she nodded, even managed to give him a small smile. 

She curled her legs underneath her as she listened to his side of the conversation and when he hung up, she knew what he was going to say even before he turned to face her. "We got a break on the robbery," he told her, looking stricken. "I need to-"

"Go." She gave him that same small smile. "It's OK." When he hesitated, she reminded him, "Wells is gone, remember? I'll be fine." It struck her then that there was no real need for her to stay here tonight, that she could go back to her own place.  The idea was strangely without appeal. 

Maybe he reached the same conclusion, on both counts, because he said, "I'll be as quick as I can... you'll stay? Til I get back?" He looked nervous, like there was a possibility that she might say no and when she nodded, he let out a breath, shoulders slumping slightly in what looked like relief. He walked over to the couch, his hand falling towards her, like he was going to reach out to her but at the last moment, he pulled it back and she bit her lip as she watched him go. 

The moment the door closed behind him, she wanted to call him to come back and it was a real struggle to stay seated on the couch, not to give in to the impulse. Which was ridiculous, she told herself. She was a grown woman who had been on her own before plenty of times, and any danger from Wells was long gone; she was safer than she'd been in over a year. 

But she was finding she couldn't deny a simple truth to herself - whether it was the last forty eight hours leaving their mark, or if it had happened before that, she felt better when Joe was around. 

As she processed that information, there was a now familiar flicker at the corner of her eye. 

"Cisco!"

She was on her feet without even having to think about it and he grinned at her. "I didn't surprise you this time. Good." 

"What are you doing here?" Too late she realised how that sounded and she shook her head from side to side quickly. "That's not what I meant-"

His grin grew wider as he held up both hands. "I know what you meant, Caitlin." He dropped his hands to his sides, slid them into his pockets and shrugged. His grin dimmed and Caitlin knew what was coming next. "I came because..." He grinned again but only at half wattage. "I couldn't leave you without saying goodbye properly."

The words, although she was expecting them, sent an actual physical ache through Caitlin's heart. She could feel tears forming in the back of her throat and she balled her hands into fists, feeling her nails make indentations in her palms. "Thank you. For everything."

"I ah... I also came to try out one last piece of tech. Caitlin... my Caitlin, that is, has been working on it for a while... today seemed like a good time to test drive it..." Caitlin tilted her head as he walked towards her, not understanding what he was getting at, not that there was anything new in that - Cisco's brain had often been ten steps ahead of his mouth, it had been one of the things about him that Caitlin had simultaneously loved and been irked by. Usually, she'd been good about catching up, but not today.  

Today she didn't realise what he was getting at until he reached out and his hand closed over her arm. 

And stayed there. 

It wasn't exactly like a real touch, the touch that she remembered. There was a strange sort of charge, almost like static electricity. But it was close enough for her to stare at him, for her jaw to drop open in shock. "You... you..." His grin could have powered Central City for at least a month and Caitlin didn't hesitate, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. He laughed against her neck, his arms going around her, hands landing on her back and he held her just as tightly as she gasped, "I never thought I'd get to do this again."

Another chuckle and she felt his hand move over her crown of her head and down her back. "Surprise." Pressing her lips together, she closed her eyes and let the tears come, whole doing her best to stifle the sobs she felt rising. She wasn't sure how much success she was having but the answer came when he pulled back slightly so that he could see her face. His jaw dropped at her tears and he shook his head, taking her face in his hands. "Oh, please, Caitlin, please don't cry on me... I mean it... Caitlin tears have got to be, like, the saddest tears in the universe."

He was so earnest, so sincere that it made her giggle. She nodded and he dropped his hands, allowing her to swipe at her face. It wasn't the most elegant movement on her part, she knew, but her Cisco had seen her cry plenty of times and the universes, up to a certain point, didn't seem to be all that different. "How did you know I'd be here?" she asked and he shrugged. 

"I took a shot." But the way he said it, the way his eyes glanced downwards - she knew what that look meant. 

"Cisco?"

There was a long pause that ended when Cisco sucked in a deep breath, letting it out in a whoosh with his hands over his cheeks. "OK... so, when I started this? Being able to see in between dimensions? I always seemed to see myself first... So we figured, makes sense right? Like I'm drawn to other versions of me. Which is slightly narcissistic but whatever, it's not like I make the rules for this...

He was babbling. Much as she was finding she missed that, Caitlin was curious, and not a little alarmed. "Cisco."

"Right." He snapped back to reality, met her eyes and looked away again. "Then we started trying to make me more corporeal,  make me interact. And there was nothing. Bupkes. Then I came here, and it was so much easier...  that's when I realised... there might not be  a me here... but there is you." He took another deep breath. "And every time I found me, in another dimension? It was usually in STAR Labs... And you were usually right beside me." He pressed his lips together, lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "It's like you're my true north... my constant."

Caitlin frowned, feeling like she was missing something. Or knowing that she wasn't, which made her head spin more. "You mean..."

"You remember the first time we met?"

The non sequitur stopped her in her tracks but brought forth the memory easily. "Your first day at STAR Labs. Hartley had cornered you... I told you to ignore him."

"And I looked at you and I remember thinking 'she seems nice.' I said it too. Out loud, to Hartley." His lips twisted and not, she thought, for once, because of that name. "What I didn't say was that I thought you were the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in real life."

Caitlin's mouth was dry as a few more pieces fell into place. "I told you my boyfriend was taking me away for the weekend... and that was..."

Cisco nodded. "The weekend that Ronnie proposed." Crossing his arms over his chest, he continued, "The only thing brighter than the rock on your finger that Monday morning was the smile on your face. Which is when I knew my instacrush was going to go exactly nowhere. Except it didn't. Go anywhere, I mean. It kinda stuck around. Got bigger."

"You mean..." Caitlin's head was spinning, her heart pounding because of all the things she'd ever thought she'd hear, this was not one of them. 

"OK, don't go panicking on me." Cisco took her hands in his, squeezed them.

"But Cisco... did my Cisco... I mean, did he..."

"Probably." He said it with a shrug, an easy grin. "You're pretty easy to love, you know." She must have looked as stricken as she felt because he blew air out one side of his mouth, looked down at his feet. "Look, Caitlin, I know this is never going to go anywhere, OK? And I promise, that's OK with me. The friendship we have, having you in my life at all? That's more than enough for me." 

"It's just..." she began, eschewing an apology that she knew he wouldn't accept, "I can't believe I never knew." 

"We never look for the things we don't expect." Cisco grinned at her and she took a deep breath, looked up to the ceiling, refusing to cry. "All I want? In any universe? Is for you to be happy." His hands tightened on hers. "And OK, this is the one universe I've seen where you're not with Ronnie, which threw me for a bit, but I can see now... You're OK. Or..." He must have remembered the events of the last few days because he grimaced as he corrected himself. "You're going to be. I mean, you've got your job at Mercury Labs, Barry and Iris have your back, you and Joe are solid..."

"Me and Joe?" Caitlin blinked in surprise, not so much at his words but in the matter of fact way in which he said them. "What do you mean, me and Joe?"

"Caitlin." Cisco had the tone of voice he always used to get when he was explaining something that he thought was patently obvious to someone who didn't get it. It had been his main form of communication with Hartley. "You don't have to play coy with me. I like Joe, and you two are obviously crazy about each other..."

"Cisco, no." She dropped his hands, pushing away from him and running her palms over her hair, tucking it behind her ears. "There's nothing going on between us." She wilfully ignored the pulse of desire she'd felt earlier on that day, the way that she'd fallen asleep on top of him a couple of days ago. Those were isolated incidents, brought about by stress, she told herself. Definitely not symptoms of romantic interest. 

Cisco crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head, quirking eyebrow and lips in unmistakable  amusement. "Right." He dragged at least sixteen different syllables out of the word and Caitlin shook her head. 

"Cisco-" Despite herself, Caitlin found herself going back over the last couple of days, the way Joe had rushed to her side time and again, how he'd been so concerned about her, so determined that nothing was going to happen to her. The way he'd looked at her before he'd left that night, like he was afraid she was going to vanish on him. How nice it had felt to wake up in his arms. 

Cisco smirked like he knew what she was thinking. "Caitlin, have you seen how you look at him? OK, scratch that, you obviously haven't. Have you seen how he looks at _you_? I mean, that first time I appeared in Joe's house, when he didn't know if I was on the level? He stood in between us, and you couldn't see his face, but trust me. He was ready to tear me apart if I tried anything... he literally put his body between you and danger." He glanced down at her hands, now balled into fists by her side. "And don't think I didn't notice all the hand holding either." 

She could remember the warm feeling of Joe's hand in hers, remember her surprise when she realised they were hand in hand. Thinking back on it now, she realised that not only did it feel comforting, secure, it also didn't feel wrong. It felt natural, like that was the way it was supposed to be. 

Cisco's words of moments earlier rang in her head. "It's like you're my true north... my constant." 

Once upon a time, that had been Ronnie for her, the person she trusted more than anyone, the one she turned to in a crisis. 

But somewhere over the last year, that person had become Joe and she'd never even realised it was happening until right now, and even if she had, she'd never realised what it meant. 

"You're biting your lip." Cisco's voice was quiet, teasing. "Got you thinking?"

Caitlin ran her hands through her hair again, because even if what he was saying was true, both for her and for Joe, she knew that it wasn't that easy. "He's Iris's father," she reminded him. "Practically Barry's dad too..."

Cisco chuckled, walked over to stand in front of her and took her hand in his. "Caitlin," he said gently, "I hate to break it to you... but the only one who's freaking out over this? Is you." His fingers tightened on hers and tears came into her eyes again. Her Cisco had done this so many times on so many nights after she'd lost Ronnie; she'd always known she missed it, but this was bringing it into stark relief just how much. "He loves you, Caitlin... and all Iris and Barry want is for you two to be happy."

Right then, Caitlin didn't feel happy. Terrified was more like it, her heart pounding in her chest, blood roaring in her ears. Whether that was caused by the realisation of her feelings or the idea that there might be a possibility that those feelings might be returned, she couldn't say.  "Cisco, I don't know..." Her voice trailed off and he frowned, waited for her to continue. "I don't know if I can do this," she whispered. 

Cisco's frown deepened, a thin line appearing between his eyebrows. "Why? Joe's a great guy. And sure, OK, you lost Ronnie, which my Caitlin never did-"

"She never lost you either." The words fell from Caitlin's lips before she even had time to think about them, never mind stop them and Cisco just stared at her, stunned. It was one of the first times she'd ever seen him speechless. 

"OK, listen to me." His voice, when he finally spoke, was strong, resolute. "If your Cisco was here and he heard you talking like that? I'm pretty sure he'd kick your ass from here to China." The phrase made her giggle, but Cisco wasn't finished. "I'm serious," he continued. "I've already said it, all I want... All I've ever wanted, in any universe, is for you to be happy. And I know, you've lost a lot. A hell of a lot. But you've got a chance to be happy, Caitlin. With Joe." He took her other hand, brought her fists up to his lips and kissed them. "Please... please don't be alone. You deserve so much more than that."

Caitlin squeezed his hands, pressed her lips together as she fought for control. "I'm scared," she heard herself whisper and Cisco let go of her hands to pull her into a hug. She all but collapsed into his arms, her fingers making fists in the back of his hoodie. 

"I know." His voice was quiet. "But that's no reason not to keep living."

She didn't know how long they stood there like that before she straightened up, wiped her hands over her face and smiled at him. "Thank you," she said again. "For coming here... for coming back." 

He waved a hand but still looked pleased. " _De nada_." Serious then, he added, "Just... think about what I've said, OK? Because I meant it."

Caitlin nodded, for the first time in days - weeks even - feeling oddly calm. "I will."

Tilting his head, Cisco narrowed his eyes, stared at her like a puzzle he was trying to solve. She knew he'd managed it when a beaming grin threatened to split his face in two. "That's what I'm taking about!" She laughed at that, a real laugh, the kind she heard from her lips all too rarely lately and he laughed with her. "Go get him, Caitlin." 

There was still one more thing she needed to say first. "I love you, Cisco." 

He smiled, that same smile she remembered, the one that it had been all too easy to forget in the horrors of the past year.  "I love you too, Caitlin." 

And then he was gone. 

She thought she'd cry, that she'd collapse in tears on the couch and never stop. Instead, her eyes were dry and her step was light as she made her way up the stairs and into the bathroom. Splashing her face with water helped the worst of her red eyes, a light touch of make-up doing the rest. From there she moved into the bedroom, changing her clothes quickly, nothing too elaborate, just a nicer pair of jeans and a blouse, before grabbing her car keys and heading for the precinct before she could talk herself out of it. 

Being Sunday, it was quiet in the building and there were only a handful of uniforms dotted throughout the squad room. A few of them recognised her from various cases, various times she'd been there to see Barry or Joe and they nodded at her as she made her way towards the Captain's office. The door was wide open and as she approached, she could just about make out Joe's profile as he sat in his chair, mostly facing away from the squad room. Eddie was in the room with him, leaning against the bookcase, staring at Joe as he spoke intently. Caitlin paused outside the door, not wanting to interrupt official police business, not wanting to eavesdrop either, but she couldn't help but overhear Eddie's words. 

"...Sometimes, you've just got to know when it's time to get off the bench." She must have made some kind of move to catch his attention because as he finished speaking, Eddie's head turned towards her and a smile spread across his face. Pushing himself fully upright, he grinned down at Joe and in that moment, Caitlin realised that Cisco had been right - it seemed like everybody really did have an opinion about her and Joe. That much was confirmed when Eddie spoke again. "Speaking of..." Eddie dropped his voice, but not so much that Caitlin couldn't hear him. "Batter up."

He walked past her, gave her a wink as he went by but Caitlin only noticed that out of the corner of her eye. She was too busy looking at Joe, watching him as he spun around on his chair, as his eyes went wide when he saw her there. "Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey." He couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice, sitting up straight in his chair, frowning as he looked up at her. His eyes moved over her body from head to foot, like he was checking for an injury. "Everything OK? Are you OK?"

"I'm fine." She grinned inwardly as she heard the door catch shut behind her, mentally thanking Eddie for giving them some privacy. 

"Yeah?" He was still in his chair, looking up at her warily, like he didn't quite believe her so she pointed to her face.

"World's worst liar." She inclined her head towards him as she came around to the side of his desk, leaning against it. "Police captain. I think you'd be able to tell." 

Joe's lips twitched. "Point taken." Leaning back in his chair, he looked up at her. "I just thought you were going to stay at the house... I was about to call, see if you wanted me to bring some dinner back?" 

For a moment, Caitlin had the urge to say nothing, to play along with the roles they'd been playing for the last few days.  Then she remembered what Cisco had said in her apartment, what Eddie had said here. She looked at Joe, saw the smile he was trying to keep back, saw something in his eyes that she hadn't seen in way too long. Taking a deep breath, she took her courage in both hands and said something that was close to the truth. "I guess great minds think alike... I saw Cisco... he said goodbye." Joe's eyes widened but he didn't speak, just let her continue. "Barry and Iris aren't back yet, so I figured they're off celebrating and being romantic..." He narrowed his eyes slightly at her choice of words and she grinned, familiar ground underfoot. "I thought you might let me buy you dinner. To say thank you."

Joe raised both eyebrows but he didn't blink, didn't even argue about her potentially paying for the meal, just nodded slowly.  "I could do dinner."

"Are you sure?" Caitlin looked at his desk, in particular at  the stack of files to one side that was beginning to teeter precariously. "Because I know you probably still have paperwork to do..." She was partly giving him an out if he wanted to take it, partly teasing him, the smile on her face making that clear. She knew he was taking it that way when he tilted his head, narrowed his eyes as he stood up. 

"Paperwork can wait," he said and she didn't push the point any further, just watched him as he pulled on his jacket and came around to stand beside her. "Ladies first," he said, gesturing towards the door with one hand before letting it come to rest on the small of her back as they began to move. It was a casual gesture but an intimate one and Caitlin didn't miss how, when his door opened and they were walking through the bullpen, he dropped that hand, letting it fall to his side. There were even fewer people here now than minutes ago and no-one paid them Any attention, not even Eddie who seemed to be studiously not looking at them, writing furiously in a legal pad with what Caitlin could only describe as a huge grin on his face. She bit her lip, remembering once more the wink he'd given her as she'd walked into Joe's office and before she knew it, they were standing outside the precinct, Joe looking down at her. "So," he began, "where would you like to go?"

Although she knew there were any number of places near here that were perfectly good possibilities, the answer fell from Caitlin's lips without any her even having to think about it. "Your place or mine?" 

At that, Joe did blink, probably, she thought,  with surprise at what was a most decidedly un-Caitlin Snow-like answer. Truth be told, she was a little surprised at her own forthrightness but a split second later, when the words registered with him, when his eyes turned dark and curious, she threw caution to the wind altogether, stepped closer to him and brought her lips to his. In the split second before their lips met, she saw his lips turn up in a smile so it wasn't a surprise when he kissed her back, lips moving against hers as his free hand closed over her hip to pull her tighter towards him. She closed her eyes as he deepened the kiss, his tongue sweeping along her lips sending a heady rush of desire through her. She steadied herself first by resting her hands on his chest before sliding one up and around his neck, letting herself get lost in the sensation of him. 

By the time they broke apart, Caitlin was breathless, her heart hammering in her chest and one look at Joe gave her the impression that he was feeling the same way. He smiled at her as his hand found her shoulder, kneading there for a moment before sliding down, coming to rest just above the small of her back. "Your place," he said and his voice was low, sending shivers coursing through her. "Definitely your place." 

A giggle of sheer delight bubbled up in her throat. "Let's go."

 

*

Hours later, another giggle emerged from her throat, though in completely different circumstances. Joe made an amused noise at the back of his throat as he ran his hands down her back and she lifted her head from its pillow on his chest to see him looking down at her, one eyebrow raised. "It's been a while," he said, his voice low as his hands continued moving, tracing a path up and down her back, leaving goose flesh in their wake, "but I'm pretty sure laughter's not what I'm supposed to hear." 

She could tell by the glint in his eye that he was teasing her and she smiled as she felt her cheeks, already flushed thanks to him, darken further. "I was just thinking," she told him, "that a few days ago, you wouldn't even come into my bedroom... and look at us now." 

She'd been speaking metaphorically, but he looked anyway, with both his eyes and his hands, at their bodies pressed together, tangled up in the sheets and each other. A slow smile spread across his face and though she was used to seeing Joe smile, this smile was something different, something special, something just between the two of them. "Yeah..." he said, "just look." Another kiss then, another of many and she sighed against his lips. "You OK?" he asked her when he pulled away, one hand cupping her cheek, a tiny frown appearing between his eyes. 

Caitlin pulled herself up slightly, intending to place a kiss on his cheek. The movement, however, brought their lower bodies into closer contact and Joe sucked his breath in sharply. "Sorry," Caitlin said but she was anything but and from the chuckle he gave, he knew it too. 

"No, you're not."

"But I am OK," she told him, shifting deliberately again just to see his reaction  This time his eyes fluttered shut and he was definitely fighting a grin. "I am better than I have been... in quite a long time." A lump in her throat suddenly appeared and she swallowed hard against it. He must have seen the shift in her mood because he pulled her close  and it was his turn to move them slightly then, rolling them so that she was lying on her back, him mostly on his side, looking down at her. He laid a hand on her face, his thumb sweeping lightly across her cheek. 

"I guess you know I am too." His voice was light, lips curved in a smile but his eyes were dark and serious. "I've been told half of Central City has me figured out."

Caitlin lifted an eyebrow. "Only half?" 

"OK, maybe three-quarters." They shared a smile there, a lightening of the mood. "There I thought I was playing it cool."

"When did you know?" His hand moved down from her cheek to her shoulder, continued down along her side before coming to rest on her hip. Goose flesh followed in its wake and she shivered. She also didn't miss the wicked quirk of his lips as he catalogued her reaction. "How you felt about me, I mean."

"Christmas." The word surprised her and he shrugged one shoulder. "The night we switched  on the tree lights. Barry said something, I can't even remember what, but it made you laugh... and I looked over at you, the look on your face, the light of the fire, the tree lights..." His eyes were far away, like he was seeing the whole thing all over again and the expression on his face made Caitlin want to pull him close, kiss him again. She didn't though, because he moved his hand up to her cheek, brushed back her hair behind her ear. "I couldn't believe I'd never noticed how beautiful you are. And once I noticed... I couldn't stop."

"Why didn't you say anything?" 

He gave her a look not unlike the one Cisco had given her hours earlier. "I'm almost old enough to be your dad," he reminded her. "You're friends with my kids... and if all that wasn't enough, after everything you'd been through..." He shook his head. "You weren't in the right place for that. I didn't know if you ever would be."

Caitlin chuckled. "Me neither." She reached up and took her hand in his, laced their fingers together. His skin was warm against hers, his grip firm but tender and it was somehow easier to look at their hands than into his eyes. "Until the last couple of days, all I knew was that I could talk to you, you were someone I could count on. I never thought..." His fingers moved against hers and she looked at him then, a smile coming easily. "And then I couldn't stop thinking." 

"Well, I'm glad." The way he rolled his hips against hers presented her with all the evidence she needed of just how glad he was and she moved her free hand up to the back of his neck, pulled him down for a kiss. 

They didn't talk for a long while after that.

Then again, they didn't need to. 


End file.
